School stabbings leave one dead in Poland as Donald Tusk and opposition clash over digital law

Fatal stabbing in Leszczydół-Nowiny and earlier incidents

On Thursday morning around 9:00, a 15-year-old former pupil entered an elementary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny near Wyszków and attacked three staff members with an edged weapon. A 37-year-old school cleaner, who had two children, died from stab wounds despite prolonged resuscitation efforts by emergency services. The school headmaster and a female teacher were wounded while intervening, with the headmaster successfully subduing the attacker, who wore a helmet equipped with a camera.

The assault followed a stabbing on Wednesday at Vocational School Complex No. 4 in Ostrołęka, where 19-year-old Jakub Z. wounded nine people before being detained. The attacker injured five students and two teachers inside the building, fled to a nearby park to strike two bystanders, and left a homemade explosive device inside his backpack. Polish authorities had previously prevented two other plots, including an incident stopped by police in Sierpc on Wednesday and a late-September arrest in Kujawsko-Pomorskie involving a 13-year-old carrying a 30-centimeter bayonet.

Government response and digital regulation dispute

Following the casualties, Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency cabinet session to address youth violence and prevent copycat crimes. Tusk pointed to internet pathologies, gaming culture, and online challenges as contributing factors, stating that European nations face similar waves of violence among adolescents. The prime minister criticized President Karol Nawrocki for vetoing legislation on electronic services that incorporated the European Union Digital Services Act, arguing that regulatory bodies like KRRiT and UKE need tools to take down violent media. Speaking during the cabinet meeting, Tusk explained the legal limitations faced by authorities:

If today this juvenile knife attacker streamed the crime online, we would not be able to block this content, because we were not given this legal tool.

Presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz rejected the accusation, calling the criticism cynical and stating that ensuring public safety remains the executive duty of the government. National Security Bureau head Bartosz Grodecki maintained that the president had signed the digital services measure, arguing that blaming the head of state diminishes the seriousness of the tragedy. Grodecki added that official efforts should focus on supporting the victims and clarifying the circumstances of the assaults.

Opposition allegations and school support deficits

Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński asserted that the back-to-back attacks were deliberate and suggested potential ties to foreign interference. Kaczyński cited similar school violence in Lithuania and claimed that Russian platforms actively incite young people to commit violent acts. Writing on social media, Kaczyński suggested links to destabilization campaigns orchestrated from abroad:

The question is whether these attacks are an element of hybrid warfare from Russia, because similar situations have already taken place in Lithuania, and the inspiration came from Moscow.

Kaczyński accused the cabinet of failing to maintain school safety and using the deaths for political gain. Former education minister Przemysław Czarnek defended the presidency, noting that the prior administration provided nearly 5 billion zlotys in local psychological assistance grants. Czarnek pointed out that the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime has a vacancy rate near 40%, while psychiatric consultations under the national health fund involve wait times of up to 21 months. Meanwhile, Children's Rights Ombudsman Monika Horna-Cieślak deployed specialists to Ostrołęka and Leszczydół-Nowiny to provide legal and psychological support.