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SECURITY

Woman says police made her draw milk from breast at Frankfurt Airport

Germany's federal police are having to fight off an accusation that has made international headlines - that a woman passing through Frankfurt Airport was made to prove that she was lactating.

Woman says police made her draw milk from breast at Frankfurt Airport
Photo: DPA

The woman from Singapore told the BBC that police grew suspicious when they saw that she was travelling with a  breast pump but without her baby while she was passing through security at the airport.

The 33-year-old said she was ordered into a room where she was questioned by a female police officer. The police officer asked her to prove she was lactating by opening her blouse and drawing milk from her breast, according to the Singaporean business woman's account.

The woman, who has a seven-month old baby who she had left behind in Singapore, said that she complied with the request out of uncertainty as to what would happen to her if she refused.

But after the incident was over, she said she was left traumatized and began to cry as it dawned on her what had happened.

Germany’s federal police, who are responsible for guarding the country’s borders, have denied that the incident took place.

“The demand for a woman to prove that she was lactating simply didn’t happen,” a spokesperson told the Frankfurter Rundschau.

The spokesperson confirmed that the woman was stopped at the security control due to the fact that she had a breast pump in her hand luggage and that she was taken aside for further questioning.

He would not comment on whether she was asked to undress.

Initially the federal police refused to comment on the specific case, while stating that making a woman lactate would contravene their security check guidelines.

The Singaporean business woman is now considering taking legal action against the federal police.

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BREASTFEEDING

Disneyland Paris apologises after mother stopped from breastfeeding at the park

Disneyland Paris, Europe's biggest tourist attraction, has apologised to a mother after two members of its security staff ordered her to stop breastfeeding her baby in public.

Disneyland Paris apologises after mother stopped from breastfeeding at the park
Photo: Jaime Reina | AFP

Another female visitor drew attention to the incident on Sunday, tweeting indignantly that two security agents had “prevented a mother from breastfeeding her two-year-old baby on the grounds that it shocked foreign clients. In France, in July 2021!”

The tweet was accompanied by a picture of the two agents standing over two women sitting on a bench, one of them holding a small baby. In another tweet, the witness said the mother was Australian.

Responding to the messages, on which the French government was copied, Disneyland said Tuesday it “profoundly regrets this situation and present once more our apologies to the mother in question”.

The agents’ actions were “not compatible with our regulations and our values”, it said, insisting “there is no restriction on breastfeeding at Disneyland Paris”.

It also added that it offered “different places” at the site “for those who prefer a dedicated place” to nurse their children.

In its first Twitter response to the incident on Monday, Disneyland had struck an unapologetic tone, saying only that mothers had the use of special rooms “with suitable and comfortable material such as special breastfeeding seats”.

It changed its tune after being castigated on Twitter by France’s minister for citizenship, Marlene Schiappa, who was previously minister for gender equality.

“Dear @DisneylandParis, breastfeeding a baby is not an offence. It’s good that you have dedicated rooms but no-one knows when and where a baby will be hungry,” she wrote.

“Don’t you also start stigmatising mothers, it’s hard enough like that elsewhere,” she added.

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