Lifeguards in the Swiss city of Basel are calling for urgent action after repeated problems with groups of young people of migrant descent—mainly from nearby France—causing trouble at the city’s public swimming pools.
The situation is especially tense at the popular St. Jakob garden pool, where staff say they’ve faced insults, threats, and even intimidation while trying to enforce the rules.
In a letter sent to city authorities, the lifeguards said the young visitors, often of North African background, regularly ignore hygiene rules.
Staff report being surrounded and harassed when asking people to follow the rules. Regular Swiss guests are reportedly staying away due to the chaotic atmosphere.
The lifeguards are demanding stronger security and clearer dress codes. One internal message even warned that if this continues, “what do we do then, call in the army?”
As we recently reported, the Swiss town of Porrentruy (Pruntrut) has barred entry to its municipal outdoor swimming pool to anyone who is not a Swiss citizen, resident, or officially employed in Switzerland. The drastic measure follows a wave of harassment and violent behaviour—much of it reportedly committed by French nationals crossing the border.
Meanwhile, public swimming pools have become the stage for a rising tide of sexual violence in Germany. According to recent data, 65% of the suspects in sexual assaults recorded in German pools during 2024 did not hold German citizenship.
