PRAGUE: Bells rang throughout the Czech Republic on Saturday (Dec 23) and flags flew at half mast because the nation mourned victims of the nation’s worst mass capturing that killed 14 at a Prague college on Thursday.
Archbishop Jan Graubner served a mass on the most important St Vitus cathedral on the Prague Fort and the nation noticed a minute of silence at midday, with folks stopping in streets amid heavy rain and snow, and in malls throughout Christmas buying.
A 24-year outdated scholar went on a capturing rampage on the Charles College’s College of Arts in downtown Prague on Thursday, killing college students and lecturers earlier than capturing himself as a police squad closed in on him on the prime of the college’s constructing.
Family members, mates and colleagues shared condolences on social networks. Greater than 25 folks have been taken to hospitals and 13 suffered severe wounds.
Mourners saved bringing candles and flowers to makeshift memorials exterior the College of Arts in addition to the Charles College’s headquarters close by within the historic metropolis centre.
“We’re from a really small metropolis, close to from Prague, from Louny and certainly one of our, not mates, however neighbours in our metropolis died right here,” stated Vlasta Roflik exterior the College of Arts. “She was a professor, music professor. It’s totally unhappy. Sorry.”
Vera Eliaskova stated her buddy was on the faculty throughout the capturing.
“She was instantly on the fourth ground. Her colleague ran to her door and informed her to lock herself and canopy … She lined below the desk,” she stated. “I noticed her yesterday and felt sorry for her. She was nonetheless shaking.”
Police stated the shooter killed his father at residence exterior Prague earlier than travelling to town on Thursday, and ballistic evaluation additionally linked a gun discovered at his home to murders of a person and two-month outdated child final week.
Police stated on Friday they’d been closing in on the perpetrator in reference to the primary murders however didn’t get to him in time.
The Czech Republic, a rustic of 10.9 million, has comparatively relaxed gun legal guidelines and over 300,000 individuals are authorized holders of round a million firearms primarily for sell-defence, sport and searching. Mass shootings are nonetheless uncommon, with two smaller assaults previously decade.
Speaker of the higher home of parliament Milos Vystrcil stated that the nation would after all debate easy methods to stop such assaults, however that free societies needed to strike the suitable steadiness between freedom and regulation.
He stated the matter for now was to point out compassion to the victims’ households, and later to think about methods of avoiding such tragedies sooner or later.
“That is as much as each certainly one of us, not solely as much as politicians or how universities are secured, it’s also concerning the media, about how we increase our kids and grandchildren. I believe everybody realises that in the present day, when the Czech Republic is roofed by black fabric at Christmas, let’s take inspiration from that and power for the longer term.”
