Local Cooperation for Prevention, Trust and Resilience

Across Europe, the protection of public spaces remains a priority for policymakers. The EU Action Plan on the Protection of Public Spaces, the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda and wider EU work on preventing violent extremism, hate crime and discrimination all point to the need for prevention, preparedness and cooperation.

Schools, places of worship and community institutions require particular attention within this agenda. These are symbolic spaces: places where identity, belief, education, culture and belonging are expressed. When such spaces are targeted, the harm extends beyond the immediate incident. Attacks, threats, or repeated hostility can weaken trust, increase fear and undermine social cohesion.

Symbolic places include not only formal institutions, but also communitybased and informal settings such as rented halls, shared buildings, community centres and migrant-led congregations where social, cultural and religious life takes place. These spaces may be highly significant for the communities that use them, even where they lack visibility, resources or formal security arrangements.

The threat landscape affecting symbolic spaces is increasingly multi-layered. Communities may face physical attacks, vandalism or disruption, but also less visible forms of harm such as online harassment, doxxing, disinformation, intimidation linked to community events and discriminatory treatment. These risks can reinforce one another. Online hostility can contribute to offline insecurity, while recurring low-level incidents may discourage reporting and contribute to the normalisation of fear.

SHIELDed — Schools, Religious Communities and Local Authorities’ Harmonised Initiative to Enhance Local Resilience — responds to this challenge by supporting a prevention-oriented and multi-actor governance model for safer communities. Rather than relying only on reactive or overly securitised measures, SHIELDed promotes a local security culture rooted in tolerance, awareness, shared responsibility and trust.