Geneva right shifts Roma fight to public space occupation after court defeats

Geneva's right-wing parties are shifting their fight against Roma street presence from anti-begging laws to arguments about public space occupation and sanitation, following two major court defeats on begging legislation. The parliamentary debate this weekend will avoid naming the Roma community directly to prevent discrimination, but the focus is clear. Recent years have seen around fifteen parliamentary motions on city-center begging, while residents report more visible mattresses and camps. In mid-August, security official Marie Barbey-Chapuis called the situation "close to out of control," citing 13 tons of evacuated waste and accusing the canton of abandoning municipalities. This marks a new phase after two decades of legal battles over begging, with courts rejecting previous anti-begging articles. The issue remains politically sensitive as authorities balance public order concerns against non-discrimination obligations toward the Roma community.