Woke sexual harassment poster that shows a white woman groping a disabled black person sparks outcry
The sign was put up in an outdoor swimming pool in the western town of Büren with the caption: 'Stop! Grabbing is forbidden.'
At the bottom of the poster, a turtle wearing goggles and rubber armbands tells the reader: 'If something doesn't feel right, you have the right to call for help by calling out my name: Tiki!'
Several signs were put up to spread awareness about sexual assault as part of the 'Summer Sun Safety' campaign.
The campaign comes after a group of Syrian men were arrested for groping girls at a swimming pool in the nearby region of Hessen.
One of the posters, depicting a white woman groping a black boy with a prosthetic leg, sparked outrage - with critics saying it must be a 'bad joke'.
They said it was an attempt to make a politically correct statement about sexual harassment by making the perpetrator a white woman and giving the victim a physical disability.
Official German statistics show that men are responsible for the overwhelming majority of sexual assaults in outdoor swimming pools.
The debate has now caught international attention. Right-wing conservative US activist Charlie Kirk, a supporter and close confidant of President Donald Trump, wrote on X: 'Germany has a problem with Third World migrant men groping German women'
In 2024, 237 out of 367 recorded incidents were also committed by foreigners.
Rainer Wendt, the head of the German police union, warned the poster would likely embolden the far-Right Alternative for Germany [AfD] party, which is a vocal campaigner against 'woke' values.
'This campaign has only one winner, the AfD. But there are many losers: women and girls. Their dire situation is being ridiculed,' he told the German tabloid Bild.
Manfred Pentz, the European affairs minister for the state of Hessen, said: 'After the incidents we've recently experienced here, this must be a bad joke, which makes a mockery of those who have been affected.
'If it doesn't fit into their world view, it isn't allowed. Simply unbelievable.'
The city of Büren apologised for any offence caused by the poster and said it had not meant to upset victims of sexual harassment, or to play down the issue.
'The city takes seriously the public criticism of design elements of the campaign, Summer Sun Security.' a spokesman said.
'The occasion is an opportunity for reflection by the city administration. We are re-evaluating our communication methods and they will be more sensitive, and different, in the future.'
The debate has now caught international attention.
Right-wing conservative US activist Charlie Kirk, a supporter and close confidant of President Donald Trump, wrote on X: 'Germany has a problem with Third World migrant men groping German women.
'So the German government has put up a PSA warning about white women groping vulnerable immigrant men who also have prosthetic legs for some reason.'
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3 days ago
- The Independent
Charlie Kirk calls for ‘full military occupation' of American cities ‘once we liberate DC'
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