And the presence of children has angered some Finns.

Outi Parkkinen, a mother who lives in Helsinki, said she could not help apportioning blame after seeing infants sleeping on the street in below-zero temperatures.

"People say Finland is not open to immigration whenever the talk about the Roma comes up. Should we just let them roam and risk that some of these kids might die?" she asked.

Thors said Romania must take responsibility for integrating its nomadic minority and preventing thousands of people from flooding other European cities.

Other Nordic states have also started to crack down, especially since the number of Roma beggars has risen since last year.

Complaints about aggressive panhandling in Oslo prompted Norwegian politicians to discuss a ban on begging last year.

Although that proposal failed, it is again being openly debated after new groups of Roma beggars, mainly from Romania, began to arrive in Europe's most expensive city.

About five years ago, Denmark sought to put Roma children into special classes and to withdraw unemployment benefits from Roma parents if their children did not attend school. Both practices were deemed illegal and have since ceased.

(China Daily via agencies August 1, 2008)