Ever heard of an “active begging ban”? Since April 2025, the German city of Darmstadt has made it illegal to approach strangers and ask for money. Under a new local rule labelled a means of “hazard prevention,” even a polite request like “Could you spare some change?” may count as an offense entailing a fine. Critics warn that it punishes the poorest — and may even be unconstitutional. Is Darmstadt's ban on active begging even legal? Prof. Wolfram Hecker, an expert on German constitutional law