Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mohamed Badrane
Published on 2024-03-14 09:00:16
Local commissions for fighting violence in sports venues have the mission to take any necessary measures to combat violence in sports facilities.
Faced with the rise of violent acts in stadiums, authorities will crack down. To do this, a new decree has just been published in the Official Bulletin for its entry into force. In detail, the text provides for the creation of local commissions to combat violence in sports venues. Adopted by the Executive a few weeks ago, decree No. 2.23.155 establishing local commissions to combat violence in sports venues was presented by the Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa. It is part of the implementation of the provisions of article 308-19 of Law No. 09.09 supplementing the penal code regarding acts of violence committed during sports events, which entrusts the governmental sports authority, federations, sports clubs, the local commission responsible for combating violence within sports venues, as well as public authorities and forces and officers of the judicial police, each in their respective capacities, to enforce the judgments rendered by the court regarding the ban on attending sports competitions and events.
The text aims to ensure coordination between the different actors operating in the field of combating violence in stadiums at the territorial level and to define the composition of the local commission to combat acts of violence in sports venues, which includes provincial representatives of the competent government authorities and parties involved in combating acts of violence during sporting events, as well as the duties of said commission. The decree also includes provisions defining the procedures for holding meetings of the commission, carrying out its work, and making decisions. The text entrusts the secretariat of the local commission to the governmental sports authority while setting out the missions assigned to it.
Magistrate
The decree thus provides for the creation of a local commission at the level of each province or prefecture to combat violence in sports venues. These local commissions are chaired by the governor of the province or prefecture. The governor can also be represented at the chairmanship of the local commission by his representative. The commissions include local representatives from the sports authority, the high command of the Royal Gendarmerie, the General Directorate of National Security, the General Inspection of Auxiliary Forces, as well as the General Directorate of Civil Protection. The commission will also include a magistrate appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, according to Article 80 of Organic Law No. 100.13 on the Supreme Judicial Council. The decree gives the president of the local commission the possibility to invite any other body or person who can add value to the work of the commission which can also create sub-commissions in a specific area related to its field of activity. According to Article 3 of the decree and subject to respect of the prerogatives assigned to other bodies or organs by current regulations and laws, the local commissions for fighting violence in sports venues have the mission to take any necessary measures to combat violence in sports venues. This includes security monitoring before, during, and after sports events.
Access prohibition
However, the most important prerogative granted to the local commissions at the level of each province or prefecture to combat violence in sports venues concerns the establishment of local mechanisms to implement decisions regarding access to attend matches or other sports events by setting up a database including the list of identities and photos of people subject to the ban, taking into account legislative and regulatory provisions regarding the protection of individuals’ personal data. The local commissions at the level of each province or prefecture to combat violence in sports venues will also be responsible for monitoring the ticketing system and proposing measures to improve its efficiency. They will also propose and monitor the upgrading of security systems in stadiums while submitting proposals regarding match scheduling. The local commissions at the level of each province or prefecture to combat violence must annually submit a report on the progress of their work. Copies of this annual report will be submitted to the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Justice, the governmental sports authority, and the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of National Defense Administration. According to the decree, the local commission for combating violence in sports venues will meet at the request of its president, who will set the agenda, whenever necessary, with a minimum of one meeting per month. Two-thirds of the members of the commission will constitute the quorum necessary to hold meetings.
In the absence of this quorum, the president of the commission will call for a new meeting within three days. Decisions are made by a majority vote of the members. These decisions will be recorded in minutes signed by the members of the commission.
Law
Penalties. Law 09-09 supplementing the provisions of the penal code provides for several penalties regarding acts of violence committed during sports events. In this sense, article 308-5 states that anyone who incites, during or on the occasion of sports competitions or events or their public broadcast, through speeches, shouts, calls, slogans, banners, images, statues, sculptures, or by any other means, to racial discrimination or hatred towards one or more persons because of their national or social origin, color, sex, family situation, health status, disability, political opinion, membership in a trade union, membership or non-membership, real or supposed, in a specific ethnicity, nation, race, or religion, will be punished with imprisonment for one to 6 months and a fine of 1,200 to 10,000 dirhams, or one of these penalties alone. The same penalty applies to anyone who, by any of the means mentioned in the previous paragraph, makes defamatory or insulting statements within the meaning of articles 442 and 443 of this code or makes statements contrary to morals and public morality towards one or more persons or one or more organizations.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
