Heavy police presence calms tensions after Poland school attacks: Tusk
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A woman embraces a child, as emergency services (not pictured) work at the site of a deadly attack at a school by a 15-year-old former pupil, in Leszczydol-Nowiny, Warsaw, Poland, on Oct 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Poland deployed about 20,000 police to schools after three stabbing attacks in four days, easing fears of copycat violence and a rumoured “Bloody Friday”.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk said online tension has fallen, while officials said 135 arrests were made and harmful violent content will be harder to keep online.
- Authorities blamed young offenders, online pranks, extremist ideas and Russian bot activity, and said the attacks caused deaths and injuries, including a school caretaker killed in Leszczydol-Nowiny.
AI generated
WARSAW – A mass deployment of police to Polish schools has helped calm tensions, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Oct 12, after three recent stabbing attacks in four days sparked fears of copycat violence.
The authorities have dismissed rumours that the attacks were linked to an online challenge or organised group.
However, the government says the glorification of violence online is harming young people and it is fast-tracking legislation to make it easier to remove harmful content.
“Our actions and probably the passage of time have led to a significant reduction in online tension and risky situations,” Tusk told a crisis meeting.
“We will continue as long as we observe situations that give cause for concern,” he said.
Police launched the mass security operation late last week after rumours spread online of a planned “Bloody Friday” wave of knife attacks following violence at schools on Oct 7 and 8.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said around 20,000 police officers were deployed to schools on Monday, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of the national force.
Dozens of arrests
The operation has led to 135 arrests, authorities said, as police cracked down on threats and online posts linked to the unrest.
Police Commander-in-Chief Marek Boron said the offenders were mainly young people inspired by last week’s attacks trying to get attention with online pranks, while others were inspired by computer games or Nazi subcultures.
In one incident, police said a boy created a model of his school in the Roblox game and simulated attacks on students. He was found to possess a firearm, ammunition and knives.
On Oct 12, prosecutors in the south-eastern city of Lublin said police detained a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen on suspicion of planning to “murder a stranger using a knife, driven by racial hatred” as part of “Bloody Friday”.
The latest stabbing occurred on Oct 10, when three people were injured at a further education college in Warsaw.
It followed an attack on Oct 8 in Leszczydol-Nowiny, north-east of the capital, where a 15-year-old former pupil wearing a helmet-mounted camera killed a school caretaker and wounded two teachers.
On Oct 7, a 19-year-old injured 10 people, including himself, at a school in Ostroleka, north of the capital.
‘Grim trend of violence’
Tusk on Oct 11 condemned what he called a “grim trend of violence” fuelled by the glorification of extremist ideologies and violent criminals online.
Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the authorities were monitoring online activity around the clock and had detected increased activity by Russian bots linked to the security situation.
Russia has repeatedly denied using online disinformation to destabilise European countries. REUTERS