Amnesty if tiggeridomen: Very worrying

"Amnesty on the tiggeridomen: Very disturbing"

"the Judgment which gives Vellinge municipality the right to prohibit begging evokes strong feelings – both for and against."

"Very worrying," says Johanna Westeson at Amnesty International in Sweden."

"Amnesty has previously criticised Sweden's treatment of vulnerable EU citizens and is concerned about what the Supreme administrative court decision could mean."

"– It is liable to affect a specific group of roma from eastern Europe, very hard, " says Johanna Westeson, who is an expert on discrimination at Amnesty."

" We see the risk that they will be forced even further out in the vulnerability and exclusion, and find it even more difficult to make a living."

"Johanna Westeson have just taken part of the judgment and be surprised by the content."

" It is astonishing that it does not take into människorättsdimensionerna at all."

"Even at the Crossroads in the Malmö – Skåne Stadsmissions activities to EU citizens- is the disappointment was great."

"– We don't see that a tiggeriförbud is the solution to anything. This is about people who live in extreme poverty, which need some way to make a living, " says the head of unit Life to the Palm and continues,"

"– the Debate around the ban has led to a harsher climate. It is harder to get money and there are those who systematically verbally and physically attacking those who are sitting and begging. When this stuff has an impact, it can burn at such behavior, because it is legitimized."

"the Conservatives rättspolitiske spokesperson Tomas Tobé, however, is of another opinion."

"– There is a need for a national tiggeriförbud, " he says."

"the Conservatives have previously proposed that it shall be prohibited to beg for their livelihood. But Tomas Tobé do not see local bans as a solution."

the "– Local tiggeriförbud moves rather around the problem and I think we need legislation that gives a clear answer. Although this is welcome for the municipality of Vellinge, so I find it hard to see how this tiggeriförbud would work in the big cities."

"Statminister Stefan Löfven (S) believe that more municipalities can imagine a ban like Vellinges."

"– It is their own choice. I can understand that you might not want to have begging in all the places in a municipality. But it is entirely their own decision, " he says."

TT: But you and the government have not wanted to take the initiative in tiggeriförbudsfrågan?"

" We have said to the municipalities that want to do this has to consider the legislation. Now is the to be considered in the highest instance, and now we know what applies, " says Stefan Löfven."

"The sweden democrats would like the Conservatives to introduce a national ban on begging."

"I do not think that it is a solution that we should be happy with," says SD's rättspolitiske spokesperson Adam Marttinen."

"– this can help to create some order and security in front of an individual grocery store or shopping mall, but it will not help the people living here by begging."

"Claes Ling-Vannerus is national coordinator for work with vulnerable EU citizens at the county administrative board in Stockholm. He does not want to evaluate the content – but says that the issue of the ban is difficult."

"We have identified a number of serious consequences that can be linked to the vulnerability associated with begging, but there is no general prohibition of begging in Sweden and it is what we relate to," he says."

"– Many municipalities have asked for national guidance, but has been forced to pursue this on your own."