In the German town of Büren, a scandal has exposed the growing disconnect between official messaging and the reality many citizens face in the country’s public swimming pools. It all began with a poster—part of an anti-sexual harassment campaign—that depicted a white, red-haired woman grabbing the buttocks of a black boy with a prosthetic leg. The slogan read: “Stop! Groping is forbidden.”
Despite the near-immediate backlash on social media, the local administration—led by Mayor Burkhard Schwuchow of the center-right CDU—initially defended the initiative as part of an effort to “promote diversity” and “avoid stereotypes.” Only after sustained public pressure was the poster removed and an apology issued.
But the issue goes far beyond an unfortunate graphic design. This campaign isn’t a one-off—it’s another example of how many German public bodies are pushing a story that clearly misrepresents the facts. In their eagerness not to stigmatize certain groups, they end up symbolically criminalizing the average German citizen—especially if he is white, male, and heterosexual.
Official data is unequivocal: according to the Bundeskriminalamt, in 2024, there were 423 reported sexual crimes in German swimming pools. Of the 367 identified suspects, 237—64.6%—were of non-German nationality. And having German nationality does not necessarily mean being culturally German.
Cases like the one in Gelnhausen, where several Syrian men were accused of sexually assaulting minors, have occurred repeatedly, especially in urban areas.
Faced with this reality, it becomes difficult to justify campaigns that deliberately alter the profile of the aggressor under the pretext of diversity. What is presented as “visibility” becomes a mechanism for hiding the real victims and the actual crimes. It is a communication strategy that, far from preventing abuse, contributes to its trivialization and public misinformation.
It is especially concerning that these initiatives are backed by supposedly conservative political leaders, such as Mayor Schwuchow. Once a defender of law, order, and traditional values, the CDU now seems increasingly committed to an agenda that prioritizes political correctness over the duty to protect its citizens.
