The Finnish Parliament holds a moment of silence to commemorate the victims in Kuopio before the plenary session on October 2, 2019. Picture: Tony Öhberg for Finland Today
On Wednesday afternoon, the parliament held a moment of silence before their plenary session to commemorate the victims of the college stabbing in Kuopio, Northern Savonia, where on Tuesday, one person was killed and ten were injured.
“The grief is greatest when one cannot never again hold hands with their nearest,” said Tuula Haatainen, the first deputy speaker of the parliament.
“Such grief is understood only by a person, who has experienced it.”
Haatainen continued by saying that “we are for the third time in 10 years facing a situation where this room begins their session with a moment of silence to grieve the victims of school violence in Finland whose hands are not again to be touched by their nearest.”
“Just as it was with Jokela and Kauhajoki a painful question has again been raised: why?”
Haatainen reminded the listeners that so far we don’t have answers to that question, but meanwhile, “we should give all our support for those who are in need of our help.”
“When we get answers, we must take the required action,” Haatainen said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Antti Rinne expressed his condolences on behalf of the government and condemned the act of violence in Kuopio.
Prime Minister Rinne thanked the police and other authorities for their swift action.
The police, after receiving the emergency call, caught the saber-wielding man in eight minutes.
“Thanks to the highly professional, swift actions of the police, the suspect has been caught and the injured taken into care. The communication by the police has also functioned very well. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the police and to the other authorities who, in their duties, look after the safety of all people every day,” Rinne says in a statement.
President Sauli Niinistö expressed his shock regarding the incident. He sent his deepest condolences to the relatives of the victim who was killed. For the other victims, he wishes strength in recovery.
Li Andersson, the minister of education, said on Twitter that “every child and young person should have the right to study in safe without fear of violence.”
Maria Ohisalo, the minister of the interior, sent condolences to the victims on Twitter:
The events in Kuopio are shocking. My condolences to the victims and their loved ones. I would like to thank the authorities for their quick response.”
The Ministry of the Interior has ordered the official government buildings to fly their flags at half-mast on Thursday to commemorate the victims.
The ministry is recommending that the whole country joins the commemoration.
The flags will be flown at half-mast beginning at 08:00 in the morning and will be taken down when the sun is setting.
