(AGENPARL) – Wed 01 October 2025 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG060(2025)
Council of Europe Congress rapporteurs: Rising tide of violence against grassroots politicians can and must be stopped
“Across Council of Europe member states, local and regional elected representatives are increasingly targeted by various forms of violence.  These range from threats and intimidation to verbal and physical assaults, hate speech, mis- and disinformation and online harassment. Direct engagement with their communities makes local officials more vulnerable to aggression, yet they often lack the institutional safeguards granted to their national counterparts.
“Recent surveys and reports highlight the alarming impact of this violence: many local representatives are working under intense pressure, experiencing harmful mental and physical health issues and resigning before the end of their term of office, while political parties are struggling to recruit new candidates for local mandates.
“The Congress has long recognised the gravity of this problem. Attacks not only harm individuals and their families and teams: they weaken the very fabric of local governance. Non-violence is not just a principle – it is a prerequisite for inclusive, and democratic societies.
“The Congress is now at work, mapping the full extent of violence against local and regional elected representatives and will produce a report proposing both legal and non-legal measures to prevent and counter it.
“Violence against grassroots politicians is an affront to democracy.  It can and must be stopped.”
The report on violence against local and regional elected representatives will be discussed at the 50^th Congress session, in March 2026.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states. Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, it brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
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Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe, Avenue de l’Europe, Strasbourg, . 67000 France