photo: Bára Richterová, PrahaIN.cz/A man with a change cup runs between cars
It’s a weekday around five o’clock in the afternoon. The traffic light flashes red and a man disguised as Charlie Chaplin enters the road at the intersection between Angliska and Škrétová streets near the well-known Demínka restaurant. He has a wand in one hand and a change cup in the other.
There is no need to tell those who know the intersection in advance that there is heavy traffic at that time and only a few cars pass the green light. Drivers are nervous even without the presence of a man who starts jumping between cars and throwing a stick.
He moves cheerfully and taps on the window to the people who are looking at him and draws their attention to the cup.
Out of ten, however, only one will open. The comedian bows and thanks, the traffic light turns green, two cars pass and the whole situation repeats itself.
In some cars, the man appears for the second, third, fourth time… Those who visibly run out of patience and pretend to look elsewhere. No one will add a coin to his cup.
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“You’d better get back to normal work, you comedian,” the young man calls to the man from the car. However, he pretends not to hear them, or is really in the hustle and bustle around, he didn’t hear them.
Begging is prohibited
We inquired about the case with the city police, who had not been contacted in this case before. But as stated by Irena Seifertová, press spokesperson of the city police, a similar problem was solved in the past at the intersection next to the Dancing House.
In the past, there were especially young boys at busy intersections who ran into the intersection and wanted to wash people’s front windows. But even they were more likely to be met with rejection. The drivers showed this either by looking away, turning their heads in disapproval or turning on the wipers.
At the same time, begging is prohibited in the metropolis by a decree, and its violation can be solved in three ways. By agreement, an on-the-spot fine of up to 10,000 crowns or notification to an administrative authority.
“Last year, city police patrols in the metropolitan area revealed 7,512 offenses related to begging. Most of them were dealt with by police officers in Prague 1, specifically 5,453, as well as police officers from the Patrol Unit, who are primarily responsible for urban public transport. In the first seven months of this year, we have so far detected 5,297 of these violations, for the same period in 2022 there were 4,664 violations,” Irena Seifertová from the Prague City Police explained to PrahaIN.cz.
2023-08-13 10:53:47
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