An incident at a women’s-only swimming session in suburban Melbourne has captured the attention of internet sleuths around the world, all of whom are demanding to know “what happened?”
The viral speculation began to brew on Tuesday after the Sunshine Leisure Centre, in the city’s northwest, announced on Facebook that it had been forced to temporarily suspend its regular Sunday night event following “a serious incident involving poor behaviour” on September 13.
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Somehow, the post quickly caught the attention of people in the UK, Mexico, the US, and Europe, with hundreds of people flocking to the comments section demanding “the goss”.
“Don’t know how this got to my feed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but I’m INVESTED,” one person wrote.
“I’m in Scotland drinking peppermint tea and heavily invested,” another admitted.
“Checking phone before going to bed in Malta and the universe decided I need to know about this. What on earth did they do?” someone else said.
“Someone please tell us, before our imaginations run wild,” another social media user demanded.
Rumours run wild after Facebook post goes viral
Much to the surprise of the Brimbank City Council, the post attracted 1.2 million views in just hours, a spokesperson told news.com.au.
As puzzled staff tried to figure out how the swimming session incident became so public, concerns arose when people began making false accusations online.
One woman claimed the council had been forced to shut down the weekly event after a large group of men attended the centre to protest the women-only policy.
Others blamed the closure on a transgender woman allegedly being refused entry.
The spokesperson said it appeared that curious social media users had asked AI websites about the incident, and were given fake information.
It wasn’t long before different organisations called the council offering to help with security so the women could feel safe.
“It was blown way out of proportion,” the spokesperson said.
What happened at the Sunshine Leisure Centre?
The rapid spread of misinformation prompted Brimbank Mayor, Cr Virginia Tachos, to speak out.
“Council has become aware of incorrect information circulating about why the after-hours Women’s Only Swimming Sessions at Sunshine Leisure Centre have been temporarily paused,” she said in a statement.
“To be clear, this pause is NOT due to a protest against the Women’s Only Swim Session by men, nor is it because of a transgender woman allegedly being refused entry. These claims are entirely false.”
Ms Tachos said the sessions were paused after participants and leisure centre staff were “exposed to unruly behaviour that occurred among a number of attending patrons”.
“Brimbank City Council does not tolerate violence or unsafe behaviour. The health and safety of our patrons, our staff and the broader community is our absolute priority,” she said, noting the council is “undertaking a full investigation into the incident”.
Police were called to the centre on Sunday after receiving reports of a fight, a spokesperson for Victoria Police confirmed to news.com.au.
“It is believed the fight broke out between a group of women inside the venue on George Street about 7.15pm,” the spokesperson said, adding “no one was injured” in the scuffle.
“A formal report has not been made to police by any of the parties in relation to the incident.”
The council is now conducting a risk and safety assessment to determine if the program can be delivered safely in the future.
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