{"id":15085,"date":"2026-08-16T12:37:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T09:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/race-segregation-and-millions-in-funding-ngo-pushes-for-separate-black-and-white-swimming\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T12:37:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T09:37:40","slug":"race-segregation-and-millions-in-funding-ngo-pushes-for-separate-black-and-white-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/race-segregation-and-millions-in-funding-ngo-pushes-for-separate-black-and-white-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"Race Segregation and Millions in Funding: NGO Pushes for Separate Black and White Swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"

The organisation Each One Teach One, known as EOTO, had scheduled a swimming session on August 14th at Berlin’s taxpayer-funded “Volksbad” facility that was to be open exclusively to black guests, according to Joelle Rautenberg writing in Nius<\/em>. White swimmers would have been permitted to use the pool only after the six-hour event concluded. The event has since been cancelled following public criticism.<\/p>\n

The temporary swimming facility in central Berlin was constructed with \u20ac300,000 in public funds and was conceived by Matthias Lilienthal<\/strong>, director of Berlin’s Volksb\u00fchne theatre, as a free public amenity open to all. Yet EOTO’s planned event, advertised as exclusively for people from the “African diaspora,” appeared to contradict that principle entirely.<\/p>\n

\"Will
Photo: nius.de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following media coverage of the segregated swimming plan, left-wing activists and politicians rallied to EOTO’s defence, calling for donations to the organisation to compensate for what they characterised as racist coverage. Green Party activist Suraj Mailitafi<\/strong> went so far as to demand that the Christian Democratic Union pay EOTO \u20ac131,200 after a CDU politician criticised the swimming event.<\/p>\n

What these calls for donations failed to mention is that EOTO already receives substantial state funding. The organisation was awarded \u20ac425,000 in 2024 alone through the federal “Demokratie leben!” programme administered by the Family Ministry, with identical funding planned for 2026.<\/p>\n

\"EOTO
Photo: nius.de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u20ac10.5 Million Community Centre With Taxpayer Money<\/h2>\n

The scale of public financing for racially exclusive programmes extends far beyond swimming pools. In May, Berlin opened the “Black Communities Center” in the Wedding district, operated jointly by EOTO and ADEFRA, an organisation for black women in Germany. The centre, which hosts exhibitions and events for black Berliners, was inaugurated by Cansel Kiziltepe<\/strong>, Berlin’s SPD senator for diversity and anti-discrimination.<\/p>\n

The total cost of the centre reached \u20ac10.5 million. According to information obtained by Nius<\/em>, \u20ac3.65 million came from the Berlin city-state, whilst \u20ac5.2 million was provided by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media. In total, \u20ac8.85 million of the \u20ac10.5 million cost was covered by taxpayers\u2014including white German citizens who are not permitted to attend the centre’s events.<\/p>\n

\"Berlins
Photo: nius.de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Senator Kiziltepe has vigorously defended EOTO in the wake of the swimming controversy. In a recent social media post, she dismissed what she called false accusations of discrimination against the organisation, stating that EOTO has carried out important work for Berlin’s black community for years. She condemned what she termed a heated campaign involving threats against the organisation and particularly its young participants.<\/p>\n

The SPD senator also called for the creation of more “safe spaces” for black people, raising questions about whether additional multi-million euro facilities funded by taxpayers but closed to white citizens are being planned.<\/p>\n

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von SenASGIVA Berlin (@senasgiva_berlin)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n