Begging. Stock photo from Pixabay/ Basel, Switzerland, Wikipedia
Swiss town finds new solution against beggars
The city of Basel offers a travel voucher to beggars who, in exchange, undertake not to return to the city for at least a certain period of time under penalty of permanent expulsion from the country.
Published: May 5, 2021, 9:33 am
The migration service of the city of Basel now offers a travel voucher as well as a donation of 20 Swiss francs (18 euros) to any beggar who wishes, reported Swiss media.
The traveller’s check allows the recipient to travel free of charge to a European destination by train. In return, beneficiaries must agree in writing not to return to Switzerland, at least for a certain period of time. If they are caught again in Switzerland, they risk final expulsion from the country.
According to the media, around thirty people, most of them from Romania, have already announced themselves willing to accept the deal.
Several Swiss cantons adopt a strict approach towards beggars, which is frowned upon by European institutions. At the beginning of 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Switzerland, because of a Romanian who had been fined 500 francs (456 euros) for begging in Geneva. She was then placed in pre-trial detention for five days because she could not pay the fine.
In the judgment on January 19, the Strasbourg Court noted that the applicant, Violeta-Sibianca Lăcătuş, who belongs to the Roma community, was highly vulnerable, and by depriving her of the ability to beg, the Swiss government had deprived her of her means of subsistence.
The ECHR ruled that the Swiss penalty of a fine of 500 Swiss francs or a five-day custodial sentence for begging in public places was a disproportionate interference with the exercise of the applicant’s right to a private life. The applicant was even awarded €922 as compensation. It also cited the opinion of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights that measures to make poverty less visible to attract investment are not legitimate with regard to human rights.
This is a curious decision, because in the Grand Chamber’s ruling in Garib versus the Netherlands, the court essentially found that a measure intended to gentrify the inner city of Rotterdam by prohibiting low-income residents from living in some areas did not violate the ECHR.
The Swiss government had argued that these criminal sanctions were necessary in order to stop the exploitation of those in poverty by criminal networks. It invoked public order and safety, the economic well-being of the country, and the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. It furthermore argued that people who beg harass passers-by, bother restaurant patrons, and dissuade shoppers, and potentially incite violent reactions from those they inconvenience. Additionally, the government cited the potential harm to the tourist attractiveness of the city of Geneva.
There is also a blanket ban on begging in the UK: In England and Wales, begging and rough sleeping are criminal offences punishable by a fine under the Vagrancy Act 1824, suggesting a firm attitude towards beggars.
Following this decision of the ECHR, the Geneva public prosecutor suspended the application of the law on begging which entered into force in 2008.
In April 2021, the authorities of the canton of Neuchâtel also clarified in a begging provision that the judgment of the ECHR should be taken into account. Thus, begging remains authorized in the canton in emergency or occasional cases and is condemned only when it becomes “a habit”.
However, the Attorney General has planned to maintain a fine of 500 francs against those who beg, especially children or vulnerable people.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Europe
New App Helps Locate Sweden’s Historic Runestones
A new app called Swedish Runestones will help locate historical gems.
Swedish military wants to remilitarize the Åland Islands
The demilitarized autonomy has previously been known as 'the islands of peace.
NOAA Predicts Zero Sunspots for Almost the Whole 2030s
CLIMATEThe United States' government scientific organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts zero sunspots from 2031 to 2040. This is an extreme situation that has not occurred in as long as humanity has been counting sunspots, and it leads us into uncharted territory in terms of our solar system. However, this prediction aligns with the warnings of the world-renowned solar researcher Valentina Zharkova for many years, who indicated in 2019 various signs of this catastrophic phenomenon, including the extreme hailstorms we have seen in Europe and the world this summer. The forecast and various observations this year give cause for very significant concern. In this unique analysis, Free West Media explains why.
European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections
EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.
Turkey Believes Sweden Hasn’t Done Enough
Sweden will have to wait a bit longer for NATO membership, according to Turkey's Justice Minister Jilmaz Tunc. First, Sweden must extradite the "terrorists" Turkey wants and stop the desecration of the Quran.
Swedish Weapon Takes Down Russia’s Best Attack Helicopter
The Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 is considered one of the world's best and has struck fear in Ukraine, where it has hunted down tanks and other armored vehicles, often beyond the range of many light anti-aircraft systems. However, it has met its match in the Swedish air defense missile system RBS 70, which has quickly led to significant losses for the Russian helicopter forces.
The Sun Drives Earth’s Climate, Not Carbon Dioxide
Top Researchers Push Back Against Climate Lies."The correlation is as clear as day," explained the Israeli astrophysicist Nir Shaviv, who was hailed by the establishment, before his interview with Forbes was hastily deleted. What he says contradicts the climate narrative, which points to humans as responsible for Earth's climate. Shaviv firmly asserts that it is the sun that controls the climate, something that can be scientifically proven in many ways. Contrary to the popular belief, the sun's influence on Earth has, in recent years, caused unusually cold and rainy weather, a trend that solar researchers warn will worsen significantly in the coming decades. The sun has exhibited an unusually low activity since 2016, during Solar Cycle 24, which was the weakest in a century.
Strong Confidence in German AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.
The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy
The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."
Dutch FvD break through the media blockade
What is happening in the Netherlands? It is often difficult to follow events in other countries, especially when distorted by system media. We give Forum for Democracy (FvD) the opportunity to speak out on the political situation in the Netherlands and the staunch resistance they face in trying to save the country.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.