Beggars must pay in Sweden for "exercise"

The Swedish city of Eskilstuna, west of Stockholm, is the first in the country to demand the payment of an authorization to ask for money on its streets, a measure that has been criticized by several social organizations, it considers as "criminalizing begging".

For example, those who want to beg in Eskilstuna, a municipality of just over 100,000 inhabitants, must apply for this permit online or at a police station for a permit that costs 250 Swedish kroner (23.3 euros, or about $ 26). ) and will have a maximum validity of three months, in addition to presenting an identity document.

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"It is difficult to know what will happen, we are trying new methods to bureaucratize and hinder the activity," said the mayor of the city, Social Democrat Jimmy Jansson, on Swedish public television .

He also said that asking for money without authorization in the areas of the city included in the regulation, including centers, commercial areas and outdoor sports facilities, would be subject to fines. .

Municipal regulations have drawn criticism from several social organizations, who consider that "begging criminalizes".

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"It's not about persecuting people, but about the big question: do we think we need to normalize begging in the Swedish social welfare society?" I do not see the same energy to criticize the fact that some people are forced to ask by criticizing our attempts to establish rules, "said Jansson.

According to local media reports, the Eskilstuna police have so far received eight applications for authorization.

The settlement was adopted last May by the local government, made up of social democrats, liberals and conservatives, but its entry into force was delayed by a complaint before the administrative courts, reported the EFE agency.