Stockholm beggars incite political daring

Stockholm beggars: A political message about beggars in Stockholm's Östermalmstorg subway station.
A political message about beggars in Stockholm’s Östermalmstorg subway station.

Stockholm beggars, still clogging streets, store entrances, and subway entrances throughout the city, reflect a problem all of Sweden is experiencing. The beggars come primarily from Romania and employ such identical passive approaches that it’s hard to believe they aren’t shown, by some phantom figure (boss), exactly what they are to do.

Stockholm beggars

I wrote extensively about beggars in Stockholm a year ago, describing links between these beggars and organized crime syndicates in Romania. I then traveled to Romania to further research organized crime and human trafficking of beggars (and pickpockets). The comments posted to these articles, and others, reveal the divisive split among Swedes who, as a friend of mine quips, are either beggar-huggers or xenophobes.

Thus, the stage is set for a polarizing political agenda, which the Sweden Democrat Party has just taken to a new venue: the Stockholm subway system. There, bold text in English begins:

“Sorry about the mess here in Sweden. We have a serious problem with forced begging. International gangs profit from people’s desperation. Goverment [sic] won’t do what’s needed. But we will!”

The party has taken this anti-begging platform to the subway platform where, ironically, one is likely to have just witnessed the very subject of the platform immediately before coming face to typeface with its blatant message. One must step around at least one sprawling beggar at virtually every subway door.

Why is this audacious political message in English? Why is it in the subway at all? Well, the public transport system can’t discriminate among advertisers, so it can’t stop the ad campaign. And though the ad pretends to inform foreign visitors, it is obviously speaking to Swedish voters (who practically all speak English).

If you visited Sweden four or more years ago, you doubtless remember the pristine condition of public and private spaces. One can’t help but notice the stark difference today. Beggars languish here and there on pavements made filthy with dark stains. Stuffed black trash bags are piled near each beggar, sometimes in baby strollers or shopping carts. Laundry is spread on the ground around some beggars, along with beverage cups, food packets, and blankets. The areas they squat look like mini-slums.

The message in the subway specifically targets forced begging, which is the heart of the controversy in Sweden. Are these beggars organized and trafficked by crime bosses? Or are they desperately poor, unable to get help in their home countries, and seeking a better life in a rich nation full of possibilities? Or are they seeking a lifetime of handouts with no intention to immerse themselves in a new culture, learn the language, seek gainful employment?

The beggar-huggers must believe that all these East European beggars—all several thousand of them—came as sole and separate individuals; and that each is uneducated, each unable to work—yet each has organized herself (most of these beggars are women), traveled herself, found her own begging place and sleeping place, her own laminated family photo to display… It’s impossible to imagine these passive women, who at most now whimper “hej-hej” (hello) to passersby, mustering the gumption to attempt such an international endeavor.

The xenophobes blame immigrants for the mess. Others cry racial foul. But the hatred isn’t for an ethnic group—it’s for a work ethic. Begging has been a rare phenomenon in Sweden, therefore arousing real sympathy. Altruistic Swedes readily opened their purses. Now, with a beggar on every corner and ubiquitous rumblings of organization by crime syndicates, Swedes are uncertain, confused, afraid to trust their innate generosity, and afraid of what others will think of them if they don’t.

© Copyright 2008-present Bambi Vincent. All rights reserved.

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6 Comments

  1. @YELM: That’s how we all remember it. Things to think about before rushing to arrive at a consensus:

    – How does one get from Romania to Sweden? Is it hitchhiking all the way?
    – Where do they get the cars they sleep and live in? Or have they traveled all the way to Scandinavia in those vehicles? Where do they get the money for the trip?
    – Where’s their social network at home?
    – Sweden is about as far away from Romania as one can get, so why haven’t they stopped in other countries along the way? Or have they?

    A Dutch airline hostess we met says things are just as bad (or worse) in Norway, where they grab onto passers-by and won’t let go until they get what they want.

    Reminiscent of the old story about the pre-1968 silver coins. No one realised why the shortage until someone realised that the silver in those coins was more in value than the coins themselves. Some clever chaps had evidently been freighting huge sacks of them to Spain where they’d been melted down, yielding a huge profit. Or so the story went. Sometimes it takes them a while to wake up.

    PS. This right margin that keeps going up and down like a lift – that’s nuts, girl! VERY annoying! Surely you can fix that? xx

  2. Skandinavian, thanks so much for the link. Very interesting documentary!

  3. What a sad story. The Sweden I remember was clean and beautiful. There was a wonderful energy from all the nicely dressed busy people on the streets. I hope it is not becoming like New York.

  4. These third world peoples will NEVER respect the cultures or laws of any nation they can simply walk into.


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