Geneva prohibits begging in high-traffic areas
The canton of Geneva cannot ban begging, but it does severely restrict it. A heavily frequented places, like at train stations, begging should be forbidden.
the essentials in brief
- wants to ban begging in heavily frequented places, such as train stations.
- The vote was preceded by an emotional debate.
- A violation of human rights was also alleged.
The canton of Geneva cannot ban begging, but it does severely restrict it. On Friday, the Grand Council adopted a new version of the begging law from among the councilors.
The MPs finally voted 54 to 42 with one abstention for the amended law. The right closed for it, the left closed against it.
In the future, begging will be banned in highly frequented places such as shopping areas, train stations, banks, parking lots and post offices. The law also provides for the punishment of underage beggars, begging accompanied by minors, organized begging or aggressive begging.
Switzerland was convicted by the European Court of Human Rights
The previous begging law from 2008 had banned begging on the entire territory of Geneva. In 2014, a Romanian woman in Geneva was fined 500 francs for begging on public streets.
The unemployed woman belonged to the Roma community and did not receive social assistance. She was then placed in custody for five days because she had not paid the fine. The federal court upheld the judgment of the lower courts.
However, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg took a different view. He concluded in January that the sentence was disproportionate. In addition, a complete ban on begging violates human rights. The canton of Geneva is putting the resulting ban on begging out of force.
The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights prevents begging from being given a legal framework, said FDP Grand Councilor Pierre Conne in the debate. This is not only necessary to avoid tensions between beggars and the population. But also to protect the beggars who die are vulnerable, like Conne. “Don’t be fooled: organized begging exists and must be combated,” said CVP politician Sébastien Desfayes.
The bill was sharply criticized
The social democrat Alberto Velasco criticized the “agitation against the Roma community”. “The right-wing bill is unworthy: we have to stop stigmatizing the Roma,” he said. “The Green Dilara Bayrak was outraged by the” racist undertones “in the debate.
With the new law, Geneva is following a similar path as Basel-Stadt. Last June, the Basel Grand Council passed a law that forbids organized, “aggressive and intrusive” begging. Begging is also forbidden in public places if it interferes with security, peace and order.
Begging in an “intrusive or aggressive manner” is punished in Basel with a fine of 100 francs. A fine of 50 francs is provided for begging in neuralgic and particularly sensitive locations.
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