Prime Minister Vanhanen Encourages People Not to Give to Beggars
Image: YLE / Antti Eintola
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has encouraged the public not to give money to street beggars. Speaking to a gathering of political journalists on Wednesday, Vanhanen said he doubted whether begging could be stopped by law.
In the Prime Minister’s view, if people did not give money, the problem would disappear effectively and quickly within a matter of weeks.
He added there were indications the current wave of panhandling was organized, making it even more repulsive.
Finnish towns and cities have witnessed a proliferation of street beggars, mainly from Eastern Europe, over the past year. This spring has brought a new upsurge onto Finnish city streets, some of them behaving aggressively.
Earlier this week, Interior Minister Anne Holmlund set up a working party to examine whether legislative means could be found to ban street begging.
YLE