Four Syrian Migrants Arrested for Assault on Nine Girls in German Pool

In Gelnhausen, Germany, at least nine girls aged between 11 and 17 reported being sexually harassed by a group of four Syrian men, aged 18 to 28, at the Barbarossabad outdoor swimming pool. The victims said the men groped them in the whirlpool area, and after initial complaints were dismissed by pool staff, police were alerted and arrested the suspects, who have been criminally charged and banned from the pool. The suspects are described as belonging to the same family, and a fifth suspect remains at large. Mayor Christian Litzinger was criticized for downplaying the incident by attributing it to heightened tempers due to the heat. This incident has sparked renewed debate about migrant-related disturbances in German public pools, with right-wing figures citing a pattern of aggressive behavior by migrant men. Similar incidents have led to bans on migrant access to pools in previous years amid ongoing tensions related to the European Migrant Crisis.