I go on an annual motorcycle ride through the alps with some Austrian and German friends. Even the tiniest villages in the “Green Hills of Tyrol” are swarming with economy boosting immigrants wandering aimlessly. In the middle of the alps 20 miles from the nearest village there’s an African with a bag of trinkets, socks, thread, and various other sundries. There must be organized gangs that round them up and dump them off to sell junk.
No doubt, much like the Romanians. I didn't see any women though. I wonder if they come also. With the Romanians, you typically only see the women but they only beg, they don't even make any pretense of selling junk.
This must be sort of new because, I haven't been down that way in about 5 years but prior to that I have spent quite a bit of time in Northern & Southern Europe and don't recall seeing it so widespread.