Sweden’s center-right government and far-right party “Sweden Democrats” are exploring the possibility of banning begging at the national level, “Politico” writes.
“This is good and absolutely necessary,” said Linda Lindbergh, leader of the Sweden Democrats, at a press conference on Monday.
“Begging was rare in Sweden until 2010, when many citizens of other EU countries came here to beg,” she said, adding that the phenomenon has grown into more systemic crimes.
The ban on begging is a pre-election promise of the Sweden Democrats, who together with the three ruling right-wing parties won the elections in 2022 with a narrow majority. The far-right are not part of the cabinet, but they support it.
A special investigator will investigate whether such a ban can be implemented from a legal point of view and does not violate international conventions and human rights. The conclusions are due to be presented to parliament at the end of June 2025.
