NGO receives 85,000 euros after canceling segregated swimming event
A Berlin NGO that planned a blacks-only swimming event has raised over 85,000 euros in donations after its cancellation, despite already receiving 425,000 euros in federal funding this year.
The NGO “Each One Teach One” launched a fundraising campaign on Go Fund Me after their controversial “blacks-only” swimming event at Berlin’s Volksbühne theater was abruptly canceled, according to Nius. The organization is already benefiting from substantial taxpayer support through Germany’s “Demokratie leben!” (Living Democracy) federal program.
Suraj Mailitafi, a black activist who initiated the donation campaign, wrote that the group wanted to demonstrate that racist threats would not have the final say. He argued that black children and young people deserve protected spaces where they can experience community and safety.
The planned event would have restricted access to a temporary pool erected in front of the Volksbühne theater exclusively to black individuals for several hours on a Friday afternoon, with particular emphasis on children and teenagers. Both the Berlin theater and the organization cited security concerns as the reason for the last-minute cancellation.
Racial Segregation Framed as Summer Activity
The fundraising appeal referenced racist threatening emails, threats of violence, and discriminatory comments directed at the organization in connection with the planned event. Mailitafi characterized the proposed activity merely as a nice summer vacation afternoon for participating children, teenagers, and their relatives.
The swift financial response to the cancellation highlights the polarized nature of identity politics in contemporary Germany. Critics have questioned why an organization already receiving substantial public funding would need additional donations, and whether taxpayer money should support events that explicitly exclude participants based on race.
The controversy surrounding the event has sparked broader debates about the boundaries of so-called safe spaces and whether racial segregation can ever be justified, even when framed as protective measures for minority communities. Conservative voices have pointed out the troubling parallels to historical racial segregation policies that modern Western societies have long rejected as fundamentally unjust.
With information from Nius
