BEIJING: A 25-year-old man was suspected of attacking a kindergarten in China\u2019s Guangdong province on Monday, killing six people and injuring one, triggering an outpouring of concern about violence against children at school.
\nMedia reported the attack in Lianjiang county in the southern province was a stabbing. The suspect, with the surname Wu and from Lianjiang, had been detained, police said, adding they were investigating.
\nSome media reported that both adults and children were among the victims.
\nWhile violent crime is rare in China due to strict gun laws and tight security, incidents of stabbings at pre-schools over the past few years have raised concerns about school safety.
\nThe latest news sparked emotive debate on the Weibo social media platform. By 1:50 p.m. it was the top-trending discussion, with 290 million views.
\nSome social media users called for the suspect to face the death penalty.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s outrageous to do this to children who have no power at all. How many families will be destroyed by this … I support the death penalty,\u201d one Weibo user said.
\nAnother user questioned security at schools, especially after similar previous attacks.
\n\u201cWhy do such cases still continue to emerge?\u201c
\nIn August last year, three people were killed and six wounded in a stabbing at a kindergarten in the southern province of Jiangxi.
\nIn 2021, a man killed two children and wounded 16 at a kindergarten in the southwestern region of Guangxi.
\nAttacks on children have also thrown a spotlight on mental health, which often goes under the radar due to cultural stigma attached to mental illnesses.
\nIn 2017, a 22-year-old man set off an explosive device outside a kindergarten in Jiangsu province, killing himself and a few others while wounding dozens.
\nThe man had a neurological disorder and had scrawled words for death on the walls of his home, according to state media.
\nLast month, a series of violent attacks in Hong Kong also raised the issue of mental health.
\nMental health experts point to the COVID-19 pandemic as a major factor behind an increase in mental health problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING: A 25-year-old man was suspected of attacking a kindergarten in China\u2019s Guangdong province on Monday, killing six people and injuring one, triggering an outpouring of concern about violence against children at school. Media reported the attack in Lianjiang county in the southern province was a stabbing. The suspect, with the surname Wu and from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-342386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n