Give Norway's Beggars a Break
Norway, one of the world's richest nations, is about to ban begging in a move some see as a sign of rising anti-immigrant sentiment. Whatever the motivation, it's the work of misguided people who want to hide what they can't understand. ● A recent government-commissioned report says there are between 500 and 1,000 foreign beggars on the streets of Oslo. The city estimates it will spend 5 million kronor ($824,000) this year just cleaning up after them. Locals believe most of them are Roma, a group commonly known as Gypsies who arrived from Romania and other east European countries in search of free food and clothes in the oil-rich country, which was largely unscathed by the global financial crisis and boasts one of the world's highest incomes per capita. Local charity organizations are relatively generous, but no one will rent housing to the beggars, so they are forced to squat or live rough, which in Norway often means sleeping on the ground in sub-zero temperatures. Politicians from the anti-immigrant Progress Party, part of the country's ruling coalition, believe the beggars are part of organized crime syndicates. It's an idea that has a long history all over the world.
RT.com: Norway wants to criminalize begging
The World Post: One Of The World's Richest Countries Wants To Ban Begging