An anti-begging decree came into force this Wednesday in Amiens. Homeless people no longer have the right to ask passers-by for money from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the city center until the end of August, under penalty of a fine.
This Wednesday morning, an anti-begging decree comes into force in Amiens. Homeless people will not have the right to ask passers-by for money between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the city center until August 31, from Tuesday to Saturday.
To justify this decree, the mayor (UDI) of the Picardy capital assures that begging “causes disturbances to public order by generating crowds sometimes with alcohol consumption”.
In the streets of the city center, a few homeless people beg, sitting among passers-by. “To be chased away like that while trying to eat is horrible,” says Christophe. He has been on the street for ten years and finds this order scandalous. “It’s shameful because we don’t solve the problem fundamentally, from the moment we put people even more into misery,” he assures.
The number of homeless people but also their behavior has changed, notes Gaël Mordac, president of the Federation of downtown Amiens traders. This decree is therefore necessary according to him.
“Today, we are faced with people with aggressive behavior and there are even some who enter businesses to make this request. We want to find a peaceful city center,” he points out.
Guest of Charles Morning this Wednesday on RMC, Jérôme Jean, trader for 15 years in Amiens and founder of the “Ras-le-vol” collective, welcomes this decree.
“The municipality has made a courageous decision and I think that other municipalities in France will follow. Amiens is not the only city where we have people who sometimes ask for money aggressively. We must not oppose poverty, which is a reality today we have people who do not have the opportunity to eat properly and this is a real problem, but it is not up to traders to resolve this,” he says. -he.
A hunt for the poor?
NGOs helping the homeless are mobilized against this decision. Gaëlle, secretary of the association “Hope for our street friends”, sees it as a real hunt for the poor.
“I find it a bit absurd for these people. Where will they go? What will they do? It’s a question that everyone asks themselves. Paying a fine is ok, but they don’t have any money… what’s going to change them?” she denounces.
The associations also denounce the desire to “clean” the city before the passing of the Olympic flame next July.
Nicolas Ropert with Guillaume Descours
