I'm rather flabbergasted.
I found nothing apart from the two links Treverus provided (isn't that a bit strange? Not aimed at Treverus at all) and checked whether those reports were from April 1st.

This is legally not practicable. No idea how Basel would have to twist and wriggle this "offer" to get away with "exporting" people to "any European city".
They could only offer trips home. But even then, they can not demand these people to "not return to Switzerland", that is not in their jurisdiction, that is a federal right. And not buyable for peanuts but left for criminals after having finished their sentence here. (Landesverweis - and that too is limited, not for life, LOL).

To me this is a load of crap. If it ain't then the government of Basel should be exchanged or at least their entire legal department.

__________________
If there is a God, then I believe he’s more insulted by religion than he is by atheism.

Fantastic idea!

They should do it country wide!

Tom

Meh. Having lived in London and Paris and travelled extensively I agree that it’s more visible and persistent in Basel but it’s got a way to go before it reaches those cities’ level of professional begging.

I do find it odd that the police will come down on music or people talking that’s perceived as too loud at 10.01pm but don’t have the mandate/ inclination to act against what is very obviously organised crime.

you're so predictable.

Must be a bit boring to live with you

Some 25 years ago Zurich‘s Bahnhofstrasse was plagued with beggars with dogs, blankets and messages on sheets of old cardboard. There was a beggar every 20 metres up the street.

This lasted a couple of years and the Zürchers had never seen anything like it and handed out money generously to the needy. When it was seen that punters wanting to spend 1000s on watches etc were being put off and the beggars paid no tax, the police chucked them out...

Thank you. And you make a good point about the possible lack of jurisdiction to decide about which EU citizens may return, or not.

I've also not been able to find any info from the City of Basel, itself. I wonder: if I were homeless, and wanting to apply for this benefit, to whom should I go?

This is pretty old news, it was reported in Basler Zeitung and BZ Basel weeks ago. They also made a homeless shelter near Bad Bahnhof available to the Roma (the regulars were moved to cheap hotel rooms), but they didn't want to use it as it meant registering with the authorities. It apparently started last year with a family of 10 who came into Basel, of course word travelled fast about how easy it was to beg here and the numbers escalated.

The beggars moved beyond the city centre ages ago, we've had 2 women begging out at Breite for months, recently 2 men started turning up every day to collect the money from them. Since a little local bar opened up its outdoor tables again last week they seem to have moved on, they were storing their belongings overnight by the flats next door to the bar and residents recently roped the area off and put a sign up. There's also one begging in Birsfelden at times. I used to see people giving the women money all the time, therein lies the problem, easy pickings.

Unfortunately it doesn't matter where you go, you'll find Roma. When I was still working in London there were major issues with them begging on the underground and sitting on the pavement outside tourist attractions in the late 90s (the women with the "sleeping" toddlers who were suspected to be drugged). There was a mass influx after airlines like Easyjet started cheap flights from Bucharest into Stansted.
Madrid had a massive problem with beggars first time I visited friends in 2003, they were living in a shanty town they'd made out near Barajas Airport, travelling into the city and little kids robbing people at city centre cashpoints. My friends had them camping outside their apartment building and were constantly ringing the police at 2 and 3 in the morning because of the racket. I don't think there's a European city I've been to that hasn't had a problem.


There's even a Roma beggar parked in the middle of my local High Street back in Scotland every day, at one point it was an older lady who was obviously mentally handicapped, she was just dumped in the morning with a sandwich and left there all day. My local council was actually assigning them social workers at one point! It's a problem that's not going to go away any time soon.

I worked in London until just before the pandemic struck (January 2020). Lived all over - inner middle class (Putney), inner working class (Poplar), outer (Orpington). I think Basel is worse. Yes London has beggars, but the worst is really restricted to some touristy bits in the west end you can avoid. Basel there's gangs at the train station - and they are really threatening. Now they are beginning to take over the rest of the city.

It’s not just the government of Basel. They wanted to forbid begging again last fall but then... Strasbourg! https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/urte...mt-unter-druck

Do you know, please, which department would process the applications?

I spent 3 years at Queen Mary College on the Mile End Road back in the early - mid 90s, women were advised not to travel on the eastbound District Line between 8 and 9 at night as it was quiet and many women had been mugged or sexually assaulted. After I graduated I temped in the City for a bit then went to work in a gallery on the Bankside just off Blackfriars Bridge. Every few weeks I'd have to work late if there was a private view, I really used to hate that journey back on the District Line.
After that I worked at Spitalfields, near to the market. A fantastically vibrant area during the day (I used to pass Gilbert and George the artists doing their strange walk every morning, Tracey Emin shopped in Tesco lol) - but wow, such a difference at night! Loads of teenage prostitutes with very scary looking pimps and drug dealers you wouldn't want to meet in a dark side street.
My OH is from East Ham and says there is absolutely no way he could live there now, too many little gangstas shooting and stabbing each other. His family live at Barking and he says the same about that, gangs of intimidating teenage boys hanging around outside the station at night.
My friend lives in Southwark 5 mins from Tate Modern, he was followed along the South Bank one night then assaulted and robbed on the doorstep of his flat.

I'd say I feel safer in Basel than London, esp since we moved from Kleinbasel.

I'm all for helping people "in need", but these gangs are anything but. I admit that I feel guilty for the disdain I hold for them. I don't really know their stories - maybe they really are hungry, etc. But I highly doubt it, and I am sooooo ready for my neighborhood to be free of these sidewalk-sitting bums.

I think they were supposed to register with the police. I'm always amazed at the level of drug dealing, muggings etc that went on when I lived at Clara, seeing as there's a huge police station on Clarastrasse. It's like they just do it under the noses of the police.

They want to get rid of the organised beggars, which often come with an accompanying group of people who have a very flexible view of property and the law.

As for it being a way to make yourself unpopular, I guess any other country is free to come up with its own solutions, which will ultimately make organised begging an untenable business model.

One of my classmates actually did this to make money, he was from a very middle class family but had developed a taste for more than his pocket money or a Saturday job would provide for.

Munich had clamped down on begging, especially Roma beggars, they are harassed for papers and ID´s by the "blacks" (police) and get generally pushed and shoved until they leave. There is a small hardcore begging scene but not very visible.

Heh, in the late 90s my countrymen needed visas for pretty much everywhere in Europe and it wasn't very easy to get one (the usual tough requirements), but I take it Roma people were somehow managing to get visas. Interesting. Btw, I'm not sure EasyJet ever operated between UK and Rou.
Anyway, have seen less and less of them in other European cities. But, I don't live in Basel.
I'm not sure I like people scapegoating them at every corner on this forum. My opinion, obviously.

You should try Glasgow. The constituency represented by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland has a major Roma problem. Needless to say she never goes there to speak to the locals who have to put up with them

OK, you made your sentiments pretty clear every time. I'm sure some of them should be sent to each country they come from*, but let's try not to demonise these people for everything bad around us.
*those who create problems and didn't come with good intentions or are just ineligible to live there or somewhere else. Otherwise, depending on their passport, they have the same rights like everyone else.

You should all have some more respect for beggars here in Switzerland as they don't have an easy life.
They probably earn as much money as you do, but they can't spend their entire work day on social media.

Lol. I wonder if this activity is so profitable, seriously. It must be, otherwise no-one would bother to come here for this "activity".
Stop giving them money!!!!