AND happened again. This time in Graz, Austria, where the classroom of a school turned into a death camp. Ten victims, numerous wounded and, in the end, also the author of the massacre, a former student of the institute, took his own life. Yet another tragedy and only the last act of a long and distressing sequence that profane, what should be one of the safest places for a child or a young man: school. From America to Europe, to Asia, dozens of educational institutions have been the scene of violence Sudden and devastating, exploded by revenge, discomfort, fanaticism or pure madness. And while the world observes yet another death bulletin, the sense of impotence grows in the face of a phenomenon that repeats itself at increasingly frequent intervals.
Massacres in schools, the beginning: Bath School, Michigan 1927
The first and most lethal American school massacre dates back to 1927. In Bath Township, Michigan, Andrew Kehoe, a former treasurer of the school district, made the country’s elementary school explode after killing his wife and set fire to his farm. The reasons? Rancore towards school taxes and economic instability. The attack with explosives caused the death of 45 people, including 38 children.
Ideology and Madness: from Montreal to Dunblane
In 1989 in MontréalMarc Lépine killed 14 students in an engineering school, motivated by a hatred of women and feminism. Seven years later, in 1996, the Scottish town of Dunblane He was the scene of a massacre made by Thomas Hamilton, who fired 16 children between 5 and 6 years old and their teacher, before committing their lives.
The massacre in Graz in Austria, carried out by a former student of the Institute who, after causing ten victims and numerous injuries, took his own life (Getty Images)
Columbine 1999: the point of no return
The April 20, 1999Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold changed the perception of school violence forever. The two students of the Columbine High Schoolarmed and organized, killed 13 people and hurt 24, before committing suicide. They had planned the attack for months, with the intention of causing hundreds of deaths. Their action was emulated all over the world And he helped to trigger a heated debate on weapons, bullying and mental health.
Asia upset: Osaka, 2001
In Japan, in 2001Mamoru Takuma entered a Elementary school in Ikeda, near Osakaarmed with a knife. He killed 8 children and wounded 15 people. Sentenced to death, he was executed in 2004. The attack aroused dismayed in a country little accustomed to such events.
Massacres in schools, Erfurt 2002: horror in Germany
April 26, 2002Robert Steinhäuser, Former student expelled from the Gutenberg-Gymnasium high schoolhe returned armed to the institute and killed 16 people, including 12 teachers, before committing suicide. The attack was a shock for Germany and kicked off a profound reflection on the management of firearms.
Beslan 2004: Terror in North Ossezia
Among the most dramatic events related to a school there is Beslan’s terrorist attack. Over 30 militiamen took more than 1,100 people hostage in a school during the ceremony at the beginning of the year. After three days of captivity and a chaotic assault of the Russian special forces, the budget was devastating: 386 deaths, including 186 children.
Other attacks in the USA and Europe: from Red Lake to Sandy Hook
In 2005 in Red Lake, Minnesotaa 16 -year -old boy, Jeff Weise, opened the fire in his school, killing nine people, including his grandfather, before taking his life. Shortly later, In 2007, the most serious school massacre in American history occurred: Cho Seung-Hui, university student, killed 32 people and wounded 17 on the campus of the Virginia Techbefore committing suicide. Also Finland He was hit by similar episodes In 2007 and 2008when two young armed ones broke into their respective schools, causing a total of 18 victims between Jokela and Kauhajoki.In 2009, in Germany, the city of Winnernden He was the scene of another attack: Tim Kretschmer killed 15 people between school and his escape, before putting an end to his life. One of the most shocking episodes occurred in 2012 in Newtown, Connecticutwhen Adam Lanza, armed with rifle, made massacres to the Sandy Hook Elementary Schoolkilling 20 children and 6 adults, in one of the most devastating attacks in the United States.
Massacres in schools, last years: from Parkland to Graz
One of the most sadly known cases is that which happened In 2018 in Parkland, Floridawhere Nikolas Cruz, a former student armed with an AR-15 rifle, opened fire in his former school, causing 17 deaths and as many injured. Four years later, In 2022 in Uvalde, TexasSalvador Ramos broke into an elementary school, killing 19 children and 2 teachers. In 2023, in Nashville, TennesseeAudrey Hale, a former pupil of the Covenant School, perpetrated an armed attack that cost the lives of six people. The wave of violence was not limited to the United States. The same year, a Prague, Czech Republicthe Carlo University was the scene of an attack made by David Kozak, who opened fire on the students and teachers present, causing 15 victims before being stopped. The last episode is that of Graz, Austria.
A global scar still open
From the first explosion in Michigan in 1927 to the last shooting in Graz, The school massacres have become a global, complex and transversal phenomenon. The motivations vary, there are ideological, personal or psychological ones, but the result is always the same: broken lives, destroyed families, traumatized communities. The school should be a protected place. Yet in every corner of the world, it continues to be violated by the most senseless violence.
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