Warsaw, Poland – Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the nation on Sunday after three separate attacks at schools in the Mazovian province left one person dead and dozens injured, many of them children. He described the incidents as “spontaneous actions” largely inspired by the online glorification of violence.
Government response and ongoing school checks
During a crisis meeting with security officials, Tusk emphasized that there is no large‑scale organized group behind the assaults. “These are very often spontaneous actions inspired by online activity,” he said. Police have already detained 117 individuals across Poland for carrying knives, other dangerous weapons, or for threatening to attack schools or fellow students. In total, about 64,000 schools have been inspected for safety risks.
Online influences and extremist content
Tusk warned that a “civilizational phenomenon” is exposing young people to increasing amounts of violent content, from video games to crime stories. He noted a rise in searches for Nazi material and for “mass killers who have become idols online.” The prime minister also referenced the term “nihilistic violence,” describing acts driven by a nihilistic worldview rather than specific political goals.
Senior researcher Kacper Rekawek of the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague linked the Polish incidents to a broader copy‑cat trend that stretches back to at least 2019, citing the Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant as an example of an extremist whose imagery has been adopted by some suspects.
Parental and educational roles
Tusk called on parents and teachers to play a central role in guiding children away from harmful online practices. He urged families to discuss the dangers of fascination with violent content and to explain that such interests can lead to “very negative consequences.” The prime minister stressed that continued school checks would extend into next week to prevent further “stupid and unsafe thoughts” from taking root.
Details of the recent attacks
On Wednesday, a 19‑year‑old vocational‑school student attacked peers, teachers and passersby with a sharp object, wounding nine people before being arrested. The following day, a 15‑year‑old killed a school custodian and injured two others in a knife attack at his former school. On Saturday, a 21‑year‑old woman wounded three people at a post‑secondary institution in Warsaw.
Rumors of coordinated attacks and a so‑called “bloody Friday” circulated in parents’ online groups and mainstream media, prompting 59 schools to suspend classes preemptively on Friday, most of them in the Mazovian province.
Detentions of minors
Police also reported the detention of a 14‑year‑old boy from Warsaw found with a concealed‑blade knife and eleven firecrackers, as well as a 16‑year‑old who arrived at school with a butterfly knife in his backpack.
While the government acknowledges the seriousness of the situation, it maintains that the attacks are not part of a coordinated extremist network but rather a disturbing pattern of copy‑cat behavior fueled by unchecked online content. Tusk pledged that authorities will keep schools under heightened scrutiny and work closely with families to safeguard children’s wellbeing.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
