Women given shorts at Oktoberfest to prevent upskirting

What the report says

At Munich’s Oktoberfest, the operator of the Teufelsrad, or Devil’s Wheel, has been handing out free cycling shorts to women and girls wearing dresses in an effort to reduce upskirting and other voyeuristic filming. BBC World News reported that the move comes after videos of women on the ride spread widely on social media, some gaining millions of views and, in at least one case, generating money for the person who posted it.

The Teufelsrad is one of the festival’s oldest attractions, and its spinning motion can cause skirts and dirndls to fly up. The BBC said the festival runs for 16 days and ends this weekend. The ride’s operator, Elisabeth Polaczy, said she has been giving out the shorts for the past three years and has already distributed more than 100 pairs this year, saying she wants visitors to feel safe. Signs and police warnings in German and English are posted at the ride, but she said smartphones make enforcement difficult.

According to the BBC, German law already bans filming under skirts, but critics argue it does not fully address cases where clothing is lifted during the ride or where images are later altered and shared online. Munich police have also stepped up warnings and said arrests have been made this year and in previous years for upskirting at the festival.

The issue highlights wider concerns in Germany about digital harassment, online sharing of intimate images, and the role of social platforms and influencers at major public events.