Berlin bathers demand end to swimming ban in city's river

Berliners urge end to river swimming ban, citing clean water and public access rights

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Hundreds of Berliners take a dip in the Spree River to protest a 100-year-old ban on swimming in the city's main waterway. The ban was briefly lifted to allow what organisers called a "swim demonstration".

The ban was put in place in 1925 due to industrial pollution, which is no longer a problem. However, sewage is still periodically discharged into the river when rainfall overwhelms the city's drainage system.

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