A harsh new anti-crime bill was approved by the French cabinet and is expected to be passed by Parliament. The law will, among other things, ban beggars and Gypsies from using aggressive tactics or working in groups, and will make passive solicitation by prostitutes illegal. According to a Sorbonne study, violent crime has quadrupled in France in the past eight years, and the issue was prominent in the presidential election last spring. The bill targets crime that usually occurs in poor neighborhoods, but some, such as scams by beggars and Gypsies, could occur anywhere and affect tourists.
