International Day of Non-Violence

International Day of Non-Violence

The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

According to General Assembly Resolution, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness”. The resolution reaffirms “the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire “to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence”.

The life and leadership of Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi, who helped lead India to independence, has been the inspiration for non-violent movements for civil rights and social change across the world. Throughout his life, Gandhi remained committed to his belief in non-violence even under oppressive conditions and in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

The theory behind his actions, which included encouraging massive civil disobedience to British law as with the historic Salt March of 1930, was that “just means lead to just ends”; that is, it is irrational to try to use violence to achieve a peaceful society. He believed that Indians must not use violence or hatred in their fight for freedom from colonialism.

Definition of Non-Violence

The principle of non-violence — also known as non-violent resistance — rejects the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change. Often described as “the politics of ordinary people”, this form of social struggle has been adopted by mass populations all over the world in campaigns for social justice.

There are three main categories of non-violence action:

• protest and persuasion, including marches and vigils;
• non-cooperation; and
• non-violent intervention, such as blockades and occupations.

SAFER Survey

We, as EFDN, are proud partner of the SAFER Survey. This project, an iniatiave from Football Supporters Europe (FSE), is appealing to football fans across Europe to respond to a new online survey that seeks to understand more about the topic of gender-based violence in football and the extent to which fans have experienced or witnessed this type of violence.

The work is being conducted as part of SAFER, an Erasmus+ project that has brought together supporters and a cross-section of experts and football stakeholders to tackle gender-based violence and discrimination in the game. The results of the survey will help to establish prevention and remedy mechanisms for football fans and other match attendees across Europe and during EURO2024, which is crucial to ensuring everyone feels welcome when attending football matches.

Click here to fill in the survey!