The stereotype of Germans’ love of bureaucracy has finally got in the way of all-embracing multiculturalism as a Bavarian pool has banned the “burkini” swimsuit on the grounds of hygiene. But not everyone is pleased with the decision. Bathers complained after a woman wore the controversial full body swimsuit to an indoor swimming pool in Neutraubling. Heinz Kiechle, the Christian Social Union (CSU) mayor of the town, said that it’s incomprehensible to him why the “burkini” should be necessary. The garment, designed for devout Muslim women, is loose and covers everything on the body except for the face, hands and feet. The mayor said the decision was based on the statute for the use of the indoor pool which states that for reasons of hygiene, bathers should wear conventional swimwear. While swimsuits, bikinis and swimming shorts are permitted, sports pants, wetsuits, T-shirts, denim shorts and indeed burkinis are not. A sign explaining the pool’s dress code rules has now been erected by the pool. However, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) chairman of the region, Rainer Hummel, is unhappy about the prohibition, stating such a ban “should always be the last resort”. Mirjam Körner and Theresa Eberlein, two Young Greens members, went