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Begging should be generally banned again in the canton of Basel-Stadt. On Wednesday night, the Grand Council forwarded a motion with this demand to the government for consideration.
The general ban on begging in the city’s canton was not lifted until early July this year as part of a revision of the cantonal law on criminal offenses. Since then, only group begging has been banned.
In recent months, however, more and more Romanian beggars have appeared in Basel, some of whom have spent the night in groups in public facilities. This led to heated discussions in the public and in the media, with many perceiving the begging of about 50 as a nuisance. Beggars are also supposed to be organized and have to hand over their income to the clan chiefs.
Slightly accepted
The demand to reverse the repeal of the general prohibition of begging, initiated by the cantonal parliament and approved by the sovereign at the polls in a referendum, was quickly raised. However, the ban on begging was not the main reason for the referendum.
Specifically, the SVP demanded the reintroduction of the general prohibition of begging, whose motion the Grand Council transferred to the government on Wednesday night with 48 votes to 45. It now has to issue its opinion within three months on the demand. of a new amendment of the Penal Law of Offenses.
Justice and Security Director Baschi Dürr (FDP) said the government had always been opposed to weakening the ban on begging and had warned of the consequences. These have now come to light more quickly and clearly than expected. Dürr promised to present a proposal to parliament “very, very quickly.”
More and less serenity
During the debate, the camp of the green left had in vain opposed a return to the ban on begging. A SP spokesperson called for more serenity towards begging and less serenity towards poverty. For some people, begging is the only way to get money, according to the Green Alliance.
For the SVP, however, the measure is complete. The begging ban had to be reintroduced because no improvement was in sight. It remains to be seen whether the government actually sees the blanket ban on begging as the only way to solve the problem.
The government adviser Dürr referred to new initiatives on the subject, which the government also wants to examine. The SVP motionaire also said that it was not an individual beggar, but bands of beggars.
