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Darmstadt remains tough: begging ban in the city center confirmed!
Darmstadt confirms the ban on begging in the city center; Social concerns and protests from the Left and Uffbasse remain.
Darmstadt remains tough: begging ban in the city center confirmed!
A recent decision is causing a stir in Darmstadt: the city parliament reaffirmed the ban on aggressive begging in the city center by a large majority in a meeting. As the FAZ reported, it remains forbidden to actively approach passers-by for money; However, silently asking for support remains permitted. This regulation is the result of a tightening of the Hazard Prevention Ordinance, which took place in May and basically prohibited approaching passers-by, after previously only aggressive begging was prohibited.
In the political debate about the begging ban, the Left called for the regulation to be relaxed. Mary Stockhaus from the Left argued that the tightening of the ban would primarily push out homeless people and make social work much more difficult. She emphasized that the ban criminalizes poverty and leads to fines that the affected people cannot pay.
Organized begging and security in the city center
On the other hand, the city parliament also sees the challenges that begging brings with it. Kerstin Lau from the Uffbasse initiative confirmed the existence of organized groups that aggressively beg for money and thereby deprive weaker people in particular of the opportunity to ask for support in the city center. During the debate, Paul Georg Wandrey, head of the CDU's public order department, pointed out the massive problems caused by these groups. He emphasized that the ban on approaching does not criminalize poverty and that begging itself is permitted.
The new regulation was largely received positively by retailers. The Greens have also expressed criticism of the stricter legislation, but supported their coalition partners CDU and Volt in the vote to maintain the ban. The small parliamentary groups Die Linke, Uffbasse and Uwiga/WGD were the only ones who voted for lifting the ban on speaking, while the majority of the larger parties voted against it.
Thinking outside the box: Amazon and the e-commerce world
Amazon employs more than 1.5 million people worldwide and expects sales of over $637 billion in 2024. Despite its impressive growth, the company has often faced criticism, for example over its working conditions and the impact on smaller companies.
It remains to be seen how the begging ban will continue in Darmstadt. However, it is clear that social challenges should not only be discussed locally, but also in the context of global developments, such as those embodied by Amazon.