Acts of discriminatory violence, which target people because they belong, or are perceived to belong, to population groups that have a common characteristic such as their ethnic origin, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation, a disability, their age, their language, or the fact that they are homeless, are different from
other crimes. Not only do they have a traumatic effect on the victims’ physical and mental health, but they also send a message to whole groups or communities,
threatening them with violence and denying them the right to participate in society.
Such acts create fear and hostility far beyond the local environment, and even those that seem isolated can potentially trigger large-scale tensions and conflicts. Furthermore, discriminatory violence directly undermines the founding values of democracy, social cohesion and citizens’ security as stated by the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. Such violence has a devastating impact on many levels.
European cooperation projects
- Preventing discriminations through sport – SENTRY Sport (2021-2023)
- Local Young Leaders for Inclusion – LOUD (2019-2021)
- MATCH-SPORT (2019-2021)
- Just and Safer Cities for All – JUST (2015 – 2017)
Working group
Efus is coordinating a working group on “Preventing Discriminatory Violence at the Local Level“, the purpose of which is to exchange knowledge, strategies and practices on how to better prevent and combat all forms of discriminatory violence. Learn more
Projects on the prevention of discriminatory violence in sport
For over 20 years, Efus has been leading or taking part in projects to prevent discriminatory violence in professional and amateur sport.
Sport brings together millions of people, regardless of their sex, colour, gender, age, nationality or religion. It breaks down barriers and builds bridges where boundaries usually exist. In other words, it has the potential to foster inclusion, mutual respect and acceptance of diversity, and also to promote social integration. Due to its welcoming and diverse nature, however, sport faces a number of challenges with regards to incidences of racism and discrimination.
This is why Efus has been working to support local and regional authorities that host sports events in strengthening preventative and educational initiatives amateur sport to promote tolerance and non-discrimination. Efus has thus led or participated in projects on: preventing racism on the occasion of the Euro2000 football tournament; preventing violence stadia; collecting and disseminating local practices of prevention through sport in Europe, and preventing discriminatory violence in amateur sport. These projects are:
- SENTRY SPORT (2021-2023)
- MATCH SPORT (Make Amateur Sport Tolerant by Eliminating Racism and Discrimination) (2019-2020)
- SPORT + European prize for social integration through sport (2015-2016).
- GOAL (Gathering of all local forces to prevent violence in sporting events)(2009-2012)
- Euro 2000 cities against racism (2000)
> Minutes of the workshop organised as part of the 2021 conference:
Publications & Ressources
- MATCH-SPORT – Analysing discriminatory violence in amateur sport – State-of-the-art in 7 countries. Make Amateur Sport Tolerant by Eliminating Intolerance and Discrimination (Efus, 2021)
- MATCH-SPORT – Preserving amateur sport’s cohesive capacity by fighting discriminatory violence at the local level (Efus, 2021)
- LOUD – When local authorities and young people from nine European cities mobilise against intolerance and extremism (Efus, 2021)
- Preventing Discriminatory Violence at the Local Level: Practices and Recommendations (Efus, 2017)
- European Practices for Social Integration through Sport (Efus, 2017)
- Preventing Violence in Sport – A handbook for cities – GOAL (Efus, 2012)
- Euro 2000 Cities against Racism (Efus, 2000)
Practice sheets
Discover the actions implemented in communities across Europe through our summary documents, which present the key elements of each of these initiatives, including their context, objectives, activities, budget, evaluation. All of our practice and summary sheets can be found on Efus Network.