German city bans 'active begging' | DW News

Ana Maria Rus

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

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