Brazil: Kindergarten Attack Leaves 4 Children Dead

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Facts

• On Wednesday, a 25-year-old man armed with an axe jumped over a wall to enter the playground of Cantinho Bom Pastor, a kindergarten center in the southern Brazilian city of Blumenau, where he killed four children and injured another four victims before turning himself in at a police station.¹
• Police stated that the assailant, who arrived at the nursery center on a motorbike, had a record of violence and drugs and had stabbed his stepfather in March 2021.²
• At the time of the attack, 40 children were reportedly inside the facility. Among the deceased are three boys and one girl aged from four to seven, and at least one injured child is reportedly in serious condition.³
• Blumenau's mayor Mário Hildebrandt suspended all classes and announced a 30-day period of mourning following this deadly incident and amid rumors of additional attacks.⁴
• This is at least the second attack on a daycare center to be reported in Brazil, both in the southern Santa Catarina state. In 2021, an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed three children and a teacher in the city of Saudades.⁴
• School attacks in Brazil have reportedly occurred with greater frequency in recent years, with 16 attacks or violent episodes reported from 2000 to 2022. Last week, a student killed a teacher and wounded several others in São Paulo.⁵

Sources: ¹Dw.com, ²The sun, ³BBC News, ⁴CBS and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Eurasia review. These horrific attacks are a reflection of a broad range of societal problems within Brazil that have been catalyzed by a surge in radical ideas and extremist discourse on the internet. These mass attacks on schools are leaving long-term scars on both children and parents; it's time that the perpetrators and the social networks that embolden them are held to account and that disarmament, mental health support, and a firm response to hate speech are adopted.
• Right narrative, as provided by Detroit catholic. Brazil has experienced yet another monstrous school attack as hatred, anxiety, and loneliness — fueled by the COVID pandemic — run rampant in the nation. The need for decisive action cannot be overstated, however, implementing authoritarian measures isn't the answer. There needs to be a concerted effort to tackle the underlying social problems at the core of the growing violence, and the first step is through encouraging dialogue.

Predictions