PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Hundreds of students and other Czechs participated in a silent march through the streets of Prague on Thursday to honor the victims of the country’s deadliest mass killing, which occurred two weeks ago and left 14 people dead.
The march commenced at an impromptu memorial in front of Prague’s Charles University headquarters, where thousands had gathered to light candles following the tragic shooting on December 21. Charles University Rector Milena Králíčková expressed that their academic community had been deeply wounded but not shattered. “Our steps on the streets of Prague towards the Faculty of Arts will symbolize our path to recovery,” she remarked.
Králíčková and Faculty of Arts Dean Eva Lehečková led the solemn procession while carrying an oil lamp lit from the candles. The march wound its way through Prague’s Old Town to the nearby Palach Square, the site of the shooting inside the main faculty building, where 25 others were wounded before the gunman took his own life.
As a symbol of solidarity, the students formed a human chain around the building and later lit a fire at the square, while nearby churches tolled their bells for 14 minutes. Simultaneously, university authorities were collaborating with the police and the Education Ministry to devise potential plans and measures aimed at enhancing security on campus.
The shooter, who was a Czech national and a student at the Faculty of Arts, did not appear to have any ties to extremist ideologies or groups. Officials believed he had acted alone, although his motive was still unclear. Prior to this incident, the nation’s deadliest mass shooting took place in 2015, when a gunman in the southeastern town of Uhersky Brod killed eight people before taking his own life.
In summary, hundreds of Czechs, including students and university staff, participated in a silent march through Prague to honor the victims of the country’s worst mass shooting. The tragic incident, which occurred at the Faculty of Arts and claimed 14 lives, has left the academic community in mourning and raised concerns about campus security.