The begging ban of the City of Luxembourg came before the Chamber four times between December 2023 and June 2024, after the Minister of Home Affairs approved article 42 of the city police regulation that his predecessor had refused. The Chamber debated the ban in an LSAP topical hour, in a question hour one day after the police started enforcing it, in a motion on the use of judicial police officers, and in a debate on the note of the Chamber's scientific cell and on support for people living in precarity. The quotes below are taken verbatim from the Compte rendu officiel of each sitting.
\nOn 19 December 2023, during the LSAP topical hour on the begging ban in Luxembourg City, Laurent Mosar defended the ban by arguing the freedom to beg is not unlimited.
\n\n\nAllerdéngs – a lauschtert gutt no, och hei op menger rietser Säit – ass och d’Fräiheet fir heeschen ze goe keng onbegrenzt a kann net op d’Käschte vun de Fräiheete vun anere Mënsche goen, déi sech duerch eng aggressiv an organiséiert Heescherei och an hirer Beweegungsfräiheet agegrenzt an ugegraff fillen.
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However, and listen carefully, also on my right here: the freedom to beg is not unlimited either, and cannot come at the expense of the freedoms of other people who feel restricted and attacked in their freedom of movement by aggressive and organised begging.
\nSitting of 19 December 2023, Laurent Mosar, CSV
\nOn 14 March 2024, in the debate on the motion to withdraw judicial police officers from the begging-ban dispositif, Laurent Mosar argued that judicial police work in the dispositif is needed for drug enforcement.
\n\n\nEch muss Iech awer soen: Et ass wichteg, datt weider och vun der PJ enquêtéiert gëtt, wat d’Drogebekämpfung ugeet.
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But I must tell you: it is important that the judicial police keep investigating where drug enforcement is concerned.
\nSitting of 14 March 2024, Laurent Mosar, CSV
\nOn 19 December 2023, during the LSAP topical hour on the begging ban in Luxembourg City, Lydie Polfer, as mayor of Luxembourg City, insisted the regulation is aimed at aggressive begging, not at people sitting quietly.
\n\n\nAn et ass effektiv net, Madamm Tanson, bei deenen, déi roueg um Buedem sëtzen a sech net aggressiv verhalen.
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And it is indeed not about those, Mrs Tanson, who sit quietly on the ground and do not behave aggressively.
\nSitting of 19 December 2023, Lydie Polfer, DP
\nOn 12 June 2024, in the argument over the scientific cell's note on the city's begging ban, Lydie Polfer stated that the courts are currently seized of the question.
\n\n\nMir sinn hei an engem Moment, wou d’Riichter – d’Riichter! – mat där doter Fro befaasst sinn.
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We are at a moment where the judges, the judges, are seized of that question.
\nSitting of 12 June 2024, Lydie Polfer, DP
\nOn 19 December 2023, opening the LSAP topical hour on the begging ban as one of its two authors, Taina Bofferding attacked the government's approval of the ban.
\n\n\nGenausou ass et och ze bedaueren – oder besser gesot ass et eigentlech och e Skandal –, dass grad dat Éischt, wat dës Regierung ëmsetzt, dat, wat se mécht, eigentlech déi Schwächste vun eiser Gesellschaft viséiert.
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It is just as regrettable, or rather it is a scandal, that the very first thing this government implements targets the weakest in our society.
\nSitting of 19 December 2023, Taina Bofferding, LSAP
\nOn 12 June 2024, in the argument over the scientific cell's note on the city's begging ban, Taina Bofferding contested Polfer's call for the courts to decide, by recalling the earlier appeal against her refusal.
\n\n\nDofir sinn ech elo e bëssen erstaunt, dass Der sot, dass et gutt wär, dass elo d’Riichtere géifen tranchéieren, well deemools hutt Der jo meng Decisioun op d’Geriicht geholl.
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So I am a little surprised that you say it would be good for the judges to decide now, because back then you took my decision to court.
\nSitting of 12 June 2024, Taina Bofferding, LSAP
\nOn 19 December 2023, during the LSAP topical hour on the begging ban in Luxembourg City, Meris Sehovic accused the government of fighting poor people instead of poverty.
\n\n\nD’Regierung seet, se wéilt Aarmut bekämpfen. An der Realitéit bekämpft se aarm Leit.
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The government says it wants to fight poverty. In reality it fights poor people.
\nSitting of 19 December 2023, Meris Sehovic, déi gréng
\nOn 14 March 2024, as author of the motion on the judicial police officers in the begging-ban dispositif, Meris Sehovic reported what the joint committee heard about specialised judicial police officers being used to enforce the ban.
\n\n\nZweetens, héich spezialiséiert Beamtinnen a Beamte vun der Police judiciaire, déi an der Bekämpfung vum Terrorismus aktiv sinn, déi an der Bekämpfung vum Blanchiment vun der Finanzkriminalitéit schaffe sollen, mussen d’Heescheverbuet an der Stad Lëtzebuerg enforcéieren an do patrulléiere goen.
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Second, highly specialised judicial police officers, who work on fighting terrorism and on fighting money laundering and financial crime, have to enforce the begging ban in Luxembourg City and patrol there.
\nSitting of 14 March 2024, Meris Sehovic, déi gréng
\nOn 12 June 2024, in the argument over the scientific cell's note on the city's begging ban, Sam Tanson stated the conclusion of that note on the city regulation.
\n\n\nMee hir Konklusioun ass déi, dass dat Reglement, wat Dir an der Stad Lëtzebuerg geholl hutt a wat vum Inneminister confirméiert ginn ass, très vraisemblablement net konform zur Verfassung ass.
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But their conclusion is that the regulation you adopted in the City of Luxembourg, and which the Interior Minister confirmed, is very probably not in conformity with the Constitution.
\nSitting of 12 June 2024, Sam Tanson, déi gréng
\nOn 16 January 2024, in the question hour on the begging ban one day after the police started enforcing it, Marc Goergen criticised the minister's plan to pull officers out of other police stations to enforce the ban.
\n\n\nAn du war ech gëschter Owend, jo, scho bal erschreckt, wéi ech dann am „Wort“ gelies hunn, dass Dir dann elo aus anere Policebüroen, fir Äert Heescheverbuet ëmzesetzen, géift Leit ofzéien.
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And yesterday evening I was almost shocked when I read in the Wort that you are now pulling people out of other police stations to enforce your begging ban.
\nSitting of 16 January 2024, Marc Goergen, Piraten
\nOn 16 January 2024, in the same question hour on the begging ban, Sven Clement stated that the police are left without clear instructions on how to enforce the ban.
\n\n\nEch hunn op alle Fall d’Gefill, datt d’Police hei hänke gelooss gëtt, hänke gelooss an enger Onkloerheet, wou se net weess, wéi se dat, wat hire Minister decidéiert huet, wéi en d’Kap vum Inneminister unhat, dann elo soll ëmsetzen.
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In any case I have the feeling that the police are being left hanging here, left in an uncertainty where they do not know how they are to enforce what their minister decided while wearing his interior minister's hat.
\nSitting of 16 January 2024, Sven Clement, Piraten
\nOn 19 December 2023, during the LSAP topical hour on the begging ban in Luxembourg City, Marc Baum condemned the ban as punishing extreme poverty.
\n\n\nHeeschen ass näischt anescht wéi den Ausdrock vun extreemer Prekaritéit, vun extreemer Nout a vun extreemer Aarmut. Heeschen ze verbidde bedeit, déi Leit, déi guer näischt hunn, nach weider ze kujenéieren.
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Begging is nothing other than the expression of extreme precarity, extreme need and extreme poverty. To ban begging means tormenting further the people who have nothing at all.
\nSitting of 19 December 2023, Marc Baum, déi Lénk
\nOn 14 March 2024, in the debate on the motion to withdraw judicial police officers from the begging-ban dispositif, Marc Baum attacked the majority for banning simple begging in the municipal rules in order to fight organised begging.
\n\n\nDir kënnt nach ëmmer kengem Mënsch erklären, firwat Der d’Mendicité simple an Äert Gemengereglement eranhuelt, fir domadder d’Mendicité organisée wëllen ze bekämpfen.
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You still cannot explain to anybody why you put simple begging into your municipal regulation in order to fight organised begging with it.
\nSitting of 14 March 2024, Marc Baum, déi Lénk
\nOn 19 December 2023, answering the LSAP topical hour on the begging ban, the Minister of Home Affairs defended his approval as respect for local autonomy.
\n\n\nFir d’éischt wëll ech emol ënnersträichen: Et ass eng Decisioun vum Stater Gemengerot. Also et ass eng Decisioun vun engem demokrateschen Organ opgrond vun der lokaler Autonomie.
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First I want to underline: it is a decision of the Luxembourg City council. So it is a decision of a democratic body based on local autonomy.
\nSitting of 19 December 2023, Léon Gloden, Ministre des Affaires intérieures
\nOn 16 January 2024, in the question hour one day after the police started enforcing the ban, the Minister of Home Affairs answered on the instructions given to the police.
\n\n\nEt ass do ganz kloer festgehal ginn, datt d’Police um Terrain sech soll e Lagebild maachen, datt se mat deene Leit soll schwätzen, fir och ze verstoen, firwat se do sëtzen.
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It was set out very clearly there that the police on the ground should get a picture of the situation and should talk to these people, in order to understand why they are sitting there.
\nSitting of 16 January 2024, Léon Gloden, Ministre des Affaires intérieures
\nOn 14 March 2024, in the debate on the motion on the judicial police officers in the begging-ban dispositif, the Minister of Home Affairs stated the figure for reducing judicial police numbers in the dispositif.
\n\n\nHaut de Moien ass gesot ginn, datt den Dispositif vun deenen 110 Agente vun der Police judiciaire fir déi nächst 14 Deeg op 30 Agente vun der Police judiciaire erofgefuer gëtt.
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This morning it was said that the dispositif is being reduced from those 110 judicial police officers to 30 judicial police officers for the next 14 days.
\nSitting of 14 March 2024, Léon Gloden, Ministre des Affaires intérieures
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