A vector of social ties, sport appears to be a weapon against radicalization.
But it is also a place of danger where communitarianism is spreading little by little.
And the government website Stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr is clear.
It places sports clubs at the top of the places that promote radicalization, and associations in general as a breeding ground for change.
Surveillance has therefore increased accordingly.
Between January 1 and August 31, 2020, 393 controls were carried out against associations reported as "advocating principles contrary to republican values and the minimum requirements of life in society," the ministry said. inside.
An evaluation was carried out within these structures by the cells for the fight against Islamism and community withdrawal (Clir) and it led the prefectures to pronounce 93 administrative closures throughout France.
In "The Black Book of Sport" *, which deals with homophobia, racism, online betting mafias, sexual violence, the investigation led by journalist Magali Lacroze and Patrick Karam, vice president of the Ile-de-France region. de-France, reveals many examples where religion has taken precedence over sport: within federations, clubs, but also the French team.
"Sports officials are often helpless in the face of this behavior"
The testimonies collected show, among others, non-Muslims banned from eating pork, women ostracized from their club or from a mixed competition, athletes who take advantage of regrouping in the French team to extol the benefits of their religion. , women banned from sport by their rigorous families ... Often the leaders have not been able to provide an answer and have chosen to let it go.
“Sports officials are often helpless in the face of this behavior,” said the former head of UCLAT (Counter-terrorism Coordination Unit), Loïc Garnier.
Radicalization can happen in a club where there is already strong communitarianism.
"
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“So we had to kick in the anthill,” says Patrick Karam, vice-president (Libres) for the Ile-de-France region.
The Ministry of Sports has taken the issue of sexual violence head-on.
Now we must lift the omerta on other major problems.
This book is not here to hurt, but to find solutions.
Community abuses and radicalization exist within sports associations.
It still remains at the margin.
We must tackle it, there is an emergency, especially in Ile-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Too many sports players are still afraid of doing what they consider to be denouncing.
But it's just about protecting the children.
We do it for a sexual predator, we must also do it for an educator-recruiter from Daesh.
"
"Gray area"
But sometimes it is difficult to detect these situations.
“There is a gray area and the volunteers ask themselves: when should we be worried?
»Argues a whistleblower from a football club, who went through training on this topic.
The accumulation of weak signals and a change in behavior are the main indicators.
"It remains complicated to characterize and identify, because radicalization is a process, without taking action, recalls in the entourage of Roxana Maracineanu, Minister of Sports.
But we make sure to move forward in our sovereign missions.
We have provided the sports movement with a guide to secularism.
And already trained 223 radicalization referents, of which 50 are in post in the most concerned federations.
We want to fight any risk of withdrawal, by building on the experience and networking already achieved by the Ministry of National Education in schools.
"
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At the end of the chain, the agents responsible for controlling the clubs also come up against a religiosity that is sometimes skilfully disguised.
“We have to announce ourselves, so you can imagine that by exploring rooms in a hurry, we do not see much, relates one of them, assigned to the inner suburbs of Paris.
Afterwards, as we were alerted by the information to carry out a targeted check, we find other concerns, health or safety for example.
"
Variable-size sanctions, which go as far as the closure of clubs
In application of a circular relating to the phenomena of radicalization in sport, in 2019, 170 checks took place in 39 departments.
They concerned in particular 68 combat sports structures, 32 weight rooms, 30 shooting ranges, five paintballs and ten football or futsal clubs.
And the balance sheet shows five closures of establishment, seven inability to exercise, five formal notices, a reminder of the law and a report to the prosecutor for various attacks on republican principles.
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"To solve the problem upstream, it would be necessary to reinstate the approval which was the responsibility of the prefecture which validated the creation of the clubs," said Patrick Karam.
And as for Figes
(Editor's note: file of people convicted of acts of a sexual nature)
, a file of people radicalized or sentenced for acts related to terrorism should be created.
And find a way for club presidents to submit the names of volunteers, coaches or leaders before enlisting them in their associations, to see if they are not in this file.
"
A legally flawed proposal according to several sports specialists.
The Ministry of the Interior announces that "the President of the Republic wants a bill whose central axis will be to combat groups which promote, justify or implement actions contrary to the values and principles of the Republic".
First and foremost, sports groups.
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Because the "Black Book of Sport" specifies that 829 people, reported radicalized, are members of sports associations.
"They should be considered contagious," say the authors.
All of the terrorists who have taken action and have committed attacks in France since 2012 have been sports licensees **.
"
DR
* “The black book of sport”, by Patrick Karam and Magali Lacroze, published by Plon, 480 pages, € 22.
** Mohamed Merah practiced football, his brother boxing. The Kouachi brothers boxing and football, Coulibaly Thai boxing. Salhi, the killer of Saint-Quentin-Fallavier was doing Thai boxing and MMA. The Paris terrorists, in November 2015, the Abdeslam and Mostefaï brothers practiced Thai boxing and boxing, Amimour and Aggag sport shooting, futsal and football. The perpetrator of the Nice attack, Bouhel, practiced Thai boxing and MMA. The murderers in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray were doing Thai boxing and boxing for Petitjean, and football for his sidekick Kermiche. That of Thalis, El Khazzani, practiced football and Kassim of karate.
