Heavy police presence calms tensions after Poland school attacks, Tusk says

A mass deployment of police to Polish schools has helped calm tensions, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday, after three stabbing attacks in four days sparked ‌fears of copycat violence. Authorities have dismissed rumours that the attacks were linked to an online challenge or organised group. However, the government says the glorification of violence online is harming young people and it is fast-tracking legislation to make it easier to remove harmful content.

"Our actions and probably the passage ‌of time have led to a significant reduction in online tension and risky situations," Tusk told a crisis meeting. "We will continue as ‌long as we observe situations that give cause for concern," he said.

Police launched the mass security operation late last week after rumours spread online of a planned "Bloody Friday" wave of knife attacks following violence at schools on Wednesday and Thursday. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said around 20,000 police officers were deployed to schools on Monday, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of ⁠the national ​force.

DOZENS OF ARRESTS The operation has led ⁠to 135 arrests, authorities said, as police cracked down on threats and online posts linked to the unrest.

Police Commander in Chief Marek Boron said the offenders were mainly young ⁠people inspired by last week's attacks trying to get attention with online pranks, while others were inspired by computer games or Nazi subcultures. In one incident, police ​said a boy created a model of his school in the Roblox game and simulated attacks on students. He was found to ⁠possess a firearm, ammunition and knives.

On Monday, prosecutors in the southeastern city of Lublin said police detained a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen on suspicion of planning to "murder a stranger using ⁠a ​knife, driven by racial hatred" as part of "Bloody Friday". The latest stabbing occurred on Saturday, when three people were injured at a further education college in Warsaw. It followed an attack on Thursday in Leszczydol-Nowiny, northeast of the capital, where a 15-year-old former pupil wearing a helmet-mounted camera ⁠killed a school caretaker and wounded two teachers.

A day earlier, a 19-year-old injured 10 people, including himself, at a school in Ostroleka. 'GRIM TREND OF ⁠VIOLENCE'

Tusk on Sunday condemned what ⁠he called a "grim trend of violence" fuelled by the glorification of extremist ideologies and violent criminals online. Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said authorities were monitoring online activity around the clock and had detected increased activity by Russian ‌bots linked to ‌the security situation.

Russia has repeatedly denied using online disinformation to destabilise European countries.