Erfurt mourns: memories of Graz awaken fears of the past

Erfurt mourns: memories of Graz awaken fears of the past

Erfurt, Deutschland - On June 10, 2025, a tragic killing spree at a high school in Graz, Austria. A 21-year-old entered the school and opened the fire, which cost a total of eleven people, including the perpetrator. This terrible incident arouses painful memories of the killing spree at the Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, which took place on April 26, 2002, in which a 19-year-old former student killed 16 people. As thueringen24.de has reported the gaming in Erfurt. embossed. In the years after the crime, memorial events take place to commemorate the victim.

Erfurt's mayor Andreas Horn expressed his deep sympathy for the victims and their families in Graz in a post. He emphasized that the city has experience in coping with such crises and would like to offer support in the crisis organization and long -term support. "We are at the side of Graz," wrote Horn.

The background of school violence

But what drives young men to such cruel deeds? The sociologist Klaus Hurrelmann explains in an interview that there is often an inability to deal with your own life situation behind these acts of violence. A feeling of failure in areas such as school or friendships can lead to tensions that ultimately turn into violence. The parents play a crucial role; Many parents fail to teach children how to deal with conflicts. The pressure from outside could also be to blame - the school is partly the last trigger for such acts of violence. According to Hurrelmann, many of the perpetrators have a deeply sitting injury to their personality, which was created in the family or school environment. mdr reports .

The likelihood that such incidents continue to happen should not be neglected. Since 2000, there have been a total of 15 gauens in schools in Germany, five of them in North Rhine-Westphalia. However, Stefan Reul, the Interior Minister of NRW, emphasizes that the police are well prepared for such situations. Funst nests and submachine guns are in every patrol car. Nevertheless, he warns that there is a risk that perpetrators can do great damage before the police arrive. This goes hand in hand with the knowledge that schools cannot be made for fortresses and it is urgently necessary to research the reasons for such acts in order to develop corresponding prevention measures. Information .

prevention measures and crisis teams

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the emergency folder “Looking and acting”, which offers school management instructions for crisis situations. This folder also contains important information on crisis prevention and provides information on warning signals for potential acts of violence. Criminal psychologist Karoline Roshdi emphasizes that schools should set up a team of crisis in order to recognize and defuse threats at an early stage. Unfortunately, experiences show that many crisis teams only exist on paper and often have no active members. Here, a culture of looking and a sensitization of teachers and students must be developed so that warning signals can be recognized in good time.

The sad events of Graz and the shocking memories of the killing spree in Erfurt once again show that there is a need for action in society. It is all the more important to learn from the past and take preventive measures to prevent such tragedies in the future