Den norske kirke press contact, Birte N. Sandum said to NTB that the ban means financial ruin for hundreds of families who are among the poorest and most discriminated against in Europe.
– I think City Council decision is part of a political tendency that legitimizes the criminalization of poverty. We want to show solidarity with those living on the streets, said Sandum.
Today, several of the priests and deacons will go to Oslo City Hall together with Roma people. There they will participate in a meeting with commissioner of the department of environment and transport, John Elvestuen.
Last week, Oslo City Council has banned sleeping in parks and sidewalks. Sleep prohibition especially affects the Roma people who usually reside on streets and parks of Oslo.
