Burq-ini Ban for Basel Bathers; Basel Gladiators Fight For Home; Water Hoax Sets Off Panic; Equality For Disabled Envisioned

News For 3 May 2016

 

Summer is just around the corner and the City's public pools are gearing up for the bathing season.  The pool at Basel's Gartenbad Eglisee will also now feature some new rules that are stirring controversy.  In the women's-only section, guests will be allowed to enter the pool topless, in "standard" swimsuits or in "buriqinis" (swimsuits that cover the whole body) that meet the pool-meister's definition of snugly-fitting.  A minimum age of 16 has also been imposed - with the exception of accompanied babies and toddlers.  The problem is, women will no longer be allowed to enter the pool wearing the looser style of burqini which is more popular among the Muslim community.  The changes are likely a response to incidents last summer where long-time locals and guests wearing the burqinis confronted one-another over appropriate pool attire and behavior.  Director of Basel's Sports Department, Peter Howald, defends the rule changes saying, its impossible for pool staff to distinguish between street clothes and the offending burqinis.  In addition, Howald says the rules are meant to discourage more people from France coming over the borders to the pool which is already at service capacity.  Basel's Muslim Commission representing 20 local Muslim groups has criticized the rules saying it tried to work with the Sport Department and was ignored.

*************************   The challenges for Basel's Gladiators American football team continue.  Head coach Dwaine Wood reports that before the team's season began this spring it was assured that it would have the use of the Rankhof stadium to host its six home games from late May to early July. Now however, the team was told it can only have use of the stadium on two of its scheduled six home games, leaving it without a place to host the matches and fans.  Peter Howald, director of Basel's Sports Authority claims a space and scheduling problem led to the fracas.  Coach Wood is now demanding that St. Jakob's stadium figure out a way to make room in its schedule for the team.  Wood went on to say that St. Jakob's often hosts amateur soccer matches which feature free admission and not enough guests to count on two hands, where the Gladiators typically have at least 500 fans in their stands.  Wood's frustration is well founded, considering the boom American Football is experiencing in Europe and where the Gladiators are a contender for many of the tournaments already happening on the continent.   **************

Late last week, many households throughout Basel found themselves the unhappy subjects of a political campaign to deter public utility privatization.  Having received a letter signed by one "George W. Trump", the contents explained that a new private company called ASIT Water would be providing their tap water instead of Basel's IWB public utility.  The letter went on to explain that prices would be increased moderately...by 40%...and that customers should boil their water from now on to avoid health risks, and that a light chlorine taste is a positive quality.  Of course, it turned out that the letter was a hoax, perpetrated by a group of environmental organizations led by Greenpeace, meant to draw attention to the dangers of public utility privatization.  Basel's IWB - its longtime water provider, was not amused - having been inundated with panicked calls.  IWB spokesman Lars Knuchel threatened legal action in addition to providing reassurances that the drinking water is safe and that no plans existed to sell the water services to a private vendor.

*******************

In an effort to keep pace with the cantons of Zurich, Geneva and Fribourg...Basel has undertaken, as of last Friday, an initiative to add a constitutional amendment to support the rights of access for people with disabilities.  By doing so, Basel intends the measures to eliminate discrimination.  Disabled people would be guaranteed rights to access work, education, leisure, communication, mobility and housing.  Furthermore, an ongoing effort to improve access to buildings, equipment and facilities open to the public would be pursued.  Proponents of the initiative, in an effort to anticipate objections from taxpayers and public administrators, qualified that any effort would be subject to a rigorous cost/benefit analysis and public debate.