One of several thousand HUNGARY’S homelessness problem is nowhere more visible than in the historic heart of Budapest. Homeless people pull down their trousers and underwear in full view of startled tourists before relieving themselves on the pavement near parliament. Small piles of human excrement dot the back wall of the former headquarters of the state television, where the destitute huddle at night. Some even try to clean themselves on central bus-stop shelters after defecating, leaving brown smears across advertising billboards.In response, the city council has passed a regulation outlawing what it calls “habitual living” in public spaces, including underpasses, bridges, playgrounds, much of the city center and Budapest’s world heritage sites: the banks of the river Danube and the historic Buda Castle area. Debrecen, a city in eastern Hungary, has followed suit and banned the homeless from the city center and nearby Nagyerd forest. Offenders can be fined, forced to carry out community service and even imprisoned.These local rulings follow on the heels of a national law that allows local authorities to take such measures to protect “…
The Economist: Europe
