A lake resort operator has claimed that lifeguards’ instructions were not understood, causing unacceptable risks
A controversial move by the operator of a lakeside beach in Germany to refuse entry to swimmers who do not sufficiently speak German has sparked a fierce political row.
The dispute erupted after the privately run Heidebad nature pool in Halle in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt announced earlier this month that staff may turn away visitors who are unable to understand safety instructions in German.
Pool manager Mathias Nobel, who also works as a lifeguard, said the policy was introduced after repeated dangerous situations in which warning signs, depth markers and lifeguards’ instructions were not understood or ignored.
“The Heidebad swimming pool is convinced that an angry visitor is better than a preventable swimming accident,” reads the statement on the pool’s website. It goes on to explain that “in isolated cases, guests were refused entry if, in the operator’s opinion, sufficient communication regarding safety-related information was not possible.”
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