London tourists harassed

This item appears on page 4 of the February 2014 issue.

In London’s West End, 20 to 30 Roma people have been aggressively begging in the Oxford Street, Marble Arch and Park Lane areas. They set up camp in the park, occupying benches in the area during the day. 

Merchants have complained about harassment of their customers and thefts from stores. Some people have been intimidated by the Roma into withdrawing cash from ATMs. Police forcibly removed a similar group in July 2013, transporting some home to Romania, but Roma have returned.