Slovakia: school stabbings and a polarised country
An 18-year-old high school student killed the deputy headmistress and a classmate and injured other people in a knife attack in the Slovakian village of Spišská Stará Ves on Thursday. The perpetrator has been arrested, but his motives remain unclear. Should this attack be seen in a wider context?
Politicians are radicalising society
Aktuality.sk links the attack to an incident when a high school student refused to shake hands hands with President Pellegrini because of Slovakia's pro-Russian policies and Prime Minister Fico said he would have slapped the boy:
“There are politicians who convey the sense that violence, a slap or two in the face, is a normal solution to a problem or a normal reaction. It's a disaster when the prime minister, who himself was the target of a violent crime and almost lost his life, is among these politicians. Instead of bringing peace and calm to the public space, he returned full of anger and vengeance and spread it throughout society. ... The radicalising vocabulary of the most influential people in the state, the increasing polarisation of society and other such factors are complicating the situation in our country.”
Prevention is key
Pravda argues that attempts to link the knife attack to statements made by leading politicians lack objectivity:
“Of course, the behaviour of politicians influences the atmosphere in society. But regardless of political events we must bear in mind that there will always be mentally disturbed people in society who are willing to take up arms. More attention to mental health and a person's social environment is what is required. In some cases schools could prevent tragic events if they paid more attention to problematic students early on. And that applies to all of us in general.”