In the municipality of Porrentruy in the Swiss Jura, foreigners are no longer allowed in the outdoor pool after a series of incidents.
Until the end of August, only people with Swiss nationality, holders of a residence permit and holders of a valid Swiss work permit will be allowed to swim in the local outdoor pool.
In particular youths from France were unwelcome. They often cross the border to reach the nearby municipality, but regularly cause trouble.
“First we hired a security service from Securitas, then two more – but that wasn’t enough,” local mayor Lionel Maitre told Swiss news outlet Watson.
“It’s about harassment against young women, inappropriate language, bathing in underwear, and also violent behaviour after admonitions”, the mayor added.
A statement by the local authorities said that more than 20 people were already banned from swimming in the pool and had their access prohibited.
The municipality also justified the restriction with the current heat wave and the associated high number of visitors, which brings the outdoor pool to its capacity limit of 1,000.
“The residents of Porrentruy pay taxes for their swimming pool, they want to be able to use it in peace,” Maitre said.
The problem has intensified because the swimming pool of the town of Delle is currently closed.
Of all the people with a ban on entry, not all come from neighbouring France, but the few from Switzerland “are a clear minority”, Maitre said.
According to Watson, many of the troublemakers come from neighbourhoods across the border, where precarious family structures prevail and where the relationship to authority is problematic for some.
Formally, the ban on access to the Porrentruy swimming pool now applies to all foreigners, not just French nationals, except for the specific exemptions outlined above.
However, foreign tourists visiting Porrentruy (also known as Pruntrut in German) who are staying in a hotel or campsite can obtain a tourist card issued by their accommodation, which allows them continued access to the swimming pool.
Benjamin Fischer, an MP from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), described the decision as “absolutely right.”
“Porrentruy’s decision is based on experience. I therefore fully understand.”
Speaking to Watson about those causing problems at the swimming pool, he said: “They are young men from the Maghreb countries, Syria, and Afghanistan. They arrive in groups and systematically harass other people, especially young women.”
“The problem exists not only in the Jura, but also in many other places in Switzerland. The outdoor pools have become free hunting grounds for young men who have a different cultural background and are not used to young women spending normal time in bikinis at the swimming pool.”
Tamara Funiciello, an MP for the Socialist Party, said it was good that the pool didn’t allow people who harassed others, but said it should be regardless of their origin.
She accused the municipality of putting”a whole group of people into the same pot.”
Funiciello also strongly questioned whether the actions of the municipality of Porrentruy are legal.
Across Europe, the number of incidents at public swimming pools has been increasing.
On June 22, in the Hessian town of Gelnhausen, nine girls aged 11 to 17 were physically harassed by four Syrian men at the local outdoor pool and “touched on the whole body”, according to media reports.
In early July, a lifeguard was beaten up by a group of youths in Hannover, the Apollo News outlet reported, while on July 2, a 25-year-old man masturbated in front of children in an outdoor pool In Asperg, Baden-Württemberg.
In France, tempers were also heating up, news outlet 20 minutes reported. In Strasbourg, several assaults on members of the staff caused two pools to close. Lifeguards also received death threats. In April, one pool was confronted with a mob of 300 angry youths.
Earlier this week, the first aqua park in Le Mans had to close down, only a couple of hours after its official opening.
Faced with “an invasion of young people from the housing estates”, who violently attacked a security guard, to the point of creating “a riot of 200 to 300 people, equipped with iron bars and stones”, the manager of the structure had “no other choice” than to “close, definitively”, news outlet Le Figaro wrote.
“I can’t ensure the safety of my employees; Tuesday was Baghdad!” Anthony Walle, the manager of the Wallengo company, stated.
A public awareness campaign in Germany has sparked controversy over its portrayal of victims and offenders of harassment in public swimming pools. https://t.co/wqyheetNmO
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 3, 2025
