An Oslo magazine has been accused of barring foreign beggars from selling its magazine on the streets. Additionally a local Oslo organisation that hands out free food to the poor has also refused to help foreigners.
The magazine known as “=Oslo” allows Norwegian beggars to sell its magazine on the streets and keep half the proceeds. It was started as a humanitarian way for homeless people in Oslo to make some income instead of begging. But foreigners also want the chance to sell the magazine, and are being refused. The magazine “=Oslo” insists the vendors must be Norwegian citizens and speak fluent Norwegian.
This has led to protests on the streets of Oslo, prompting local authorities to investigate whether “=Oslo” is breaking anti-discrimination laws. If the magazine is found to be violating the law, they will have to find a way to incorporate the foreign beggars into their network.
In a similar development, Fattighuset, a popular Oslo organisation that gives out free food to the poor, has also refused to serve foreign beggars. They claim that the foreigners simply sell the food on the street, giving the organisation a bad reputation and defeating the purpose of food aid. Johanna Engen, a board member of Fattighuset, stated “we can’t have that.”
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