Vrutky Mayor Denies That Bullying Was Motive of School Attack

Bratislava, June 15 (TASR) – Following his meeting with Education Minister Branislav Groehling (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) on Monday, Vrutky (Zilina region) mayor Branislav Zacharides denied that the cause of last week’s attack on the local school was the fact that the perpetrator was bullied.

In this connection, Zacharides voiced his full support for a school that can “serve as a model for how it is able to handle even suspicions like this”. He added that there’s a will for the school to return to normal life for at least a few days as early as this academic year.

According to Zacharides, many “untruths, half-truths and uncertainties” are being disseminated in connection with the attacker. “Actually, no indications of him being bullied by anyone were recorded in the past, during his studies,” stressed the mayor, who pointed to an incident a year ago when the offender threatened railway staff with knife.

The mayor discussed security measures at the school with the minister. “We concurred that no security elements were omitted at the school and that the school met all security standards. Despite this, there was a failure to prevent completely a tragic event from occurring,” stated Zacharides. Groehling told him about his intention to seek, in cooperation with other ministries, additional measures and tools to increase the security of pupils at schools.

Thursday’s (June 11) attack on M.R. Stefanik School in Vrutky claimed the lives of two people, including the attacker, while several others were injured, including children.