Ban on Begging in Public, against Human Trafficking

A ban on begging in public. This should prevent human trafficking, according to the Swedish town of Sala, which will introduce the ban this year.

This was reported by the Swedish national radio news (SR) on Thursday. Sala, more than 100 kilometres north west of Stockholm, wants the police to hand out fines and investigate organized crime behind begging thanks to the new public ordinance. However, it is not yet clear what the consequences are for street musicians who passively charge money for their performances.

Sala is the first Swedish municipality with a begging ban, which is supported by all local political parties. At the national level, according to the Swedish radio news, only the far-right Sverigedemokraterna (20 out of 349 parliamentary seats) is in favour of introducing a similar measure. | © 2011 Marcel Burger for ANP News Agency (previously unpublished)

SWEDEN, 20 NOV 2023: Swedish police is not allowed to block the burning of the Quran citing possible disturbance of public order. This is the final decision by the highest public rule court of Sweden (Högsta Förvaltningsdomstolen) on a case in Norrköping last year. The police in Sweden decides over demonstrations, and freedom of expression is kept in high regard. This apparently includes the burning of holy books. In many places in Sweden riots broke out during Easter 2022 and later, after individuals burned the Quran to make a public statement.

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