By Stephen Peter
Violence in Berlin’s outdoor pools – once again politicians are arguing about the best solution to the problem. Now a CDU politician has a drastic idea: house arrest and an electronic tag for outdoor pool rioters! This is what the Neukölln MP Christopher Förster (37) proposes.
Sexual assaults, attacks on other bathers, even death threats against lifeguards: “We can no longer put up with such situations,” says Förster. However, online tickets with name information, access restrictions and a stronger police presence are only the first measures for short-term improvement.
The CDU MP Christopher Förster (37) from Neukölln Photo: christian lohse
“Perhaps it is time to think about a practice that is already being practiced in other countries: house arrest,” writes the CDU politician on Facebook. “This is the milder remedy compared to imprisonment. You pull perpetrators off the road, but you don’t destroy their future chances.”
Förster explains his plan to the BZ: “In the case of a first incident, the judge orders house arrest. If another incident occurs, the perpetrator must wear an electronic tag! In this way, his movements can be closely monitored.”
The politician knows: “For this, the laws have to be changed at the federal level, Berlin cannot do anything on its own.” But it is important to initiate the debate. “That won’t help us this summer, but hopefully it will prevent excesses like the current one in the future.”
► Förster grew up in Gropiusstadt, where he regularly visited the combined pool on Lipschitzallee. “Something has changed there too, groups of girls don’t like to go there anymore. Luckily there haven’t been any major riots like elsewhere.” A few kilometers further, in Columbiabad, the situation is more dramatic.
“These are the consequences of a disrespect that the public has tolerated for too long,” says the MP. “We should have started years ago to stand up to these people.”
Förster demands: “We have to be honest and finally talk about who the groups of perpetrators are. They are mostly young men with an Arab background. That has to do with other family structures and role models.”