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Polish leader says school attacks were fueled by online glorification of violence
Authorities detained 117 people and checked 64,000 schools as officials blamed online violence for a wave of copycat attacks.
Three knife attacks at schools in the Mazovian province of Poland left one dead and many wounded within four days this week, prompting an extensive security response.
Kacper Rekawek, a senior researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague, described the incidents as a 'copycat scenario' with attacks going back to at least 2019, fueled by online fascination with violence.
By Sunday morning, police had detained 117 people across Poland for carrying weapons or threatening schools; some 64,000 schools were checked following Rumors of coordinated attacks that prompted 59 schools to suspend classes.
During a crisis meeting on Sunday morning, Tusk stated Poland is not facing a large-scale organized group, but rather a "civilizational phenomenon" linked to "nihilistic violence."
Police checks will continue into next week to prevent students from imitating past attacks or developing "get stupid and unsafe thoughts," as Tusk emphasized society must address online fascination with extremist content.
On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Donald Tusk will attend a briefing with the heads of the ministries of education, interior affairs and administration, health, digital affairs, and the coordinator of the secret services. "These are very often spontaneous behaviors, stemming primarily from online activity," the Prime Minister emphasized.