Throughout the EU, for over a century, Member States (MSs) have suffered from different forms of war, atrocities and terrorism and have developed different approaches in the way of managing the memory of such conflicts.
The focus of this paper is on the ways in which memorials for victims of terrorism (VoT) have been used in the context of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE), outlining the most common approaches in different MSs and giving recommendations directed at first-line practitioners working in areas that could encompass memorials in their work (e.g. educators, local authorities, community workers, exit workers, probation workers, social workers) and policymakers at local, national and European levels looking to learn more from ongoing experiences amongst EU MSs and abroad, and to reflect on their own plans and frameworks.
Both the definition of “victim” and the definition of “terrorism” are discussed both academically and politically; P/CVE policies and strategies have different approaches in different MSs, as well as different historical backgrounds and political contexts and violence heritages, so this paper includes final notes and a bibliography for those readers interested in more in-depth knowledge on the many aspects around the topic.