Three children under the age of two were killed in this recent attack, alongside two staff members. A fourth child is reported to have minor injuries. The attacker entered a daycare armed with a machete and attempted to harm the children. The motives of the attack are unclear at this time. The daycare is located in Saudades which has a population of about 9,000 people. At around 10:35, several calls came in reporting that a man with a machete was entering the daycare. The man first attacked a staff member who was working near the front entrance, then proceeded to a classroom. After the attack, the man (who is unnamed) attempted a suicide and is currently in critical condition in the hospital. A police officer noted that the weapon was “samurai style”. This specific attack is unusual in Brazil due to the fact that many classroom attacks are targeted towards older individuals. Brazil put three days of mourning into affect.
This article is very heartbreaking to read. As stated, this attack was deemed abnormal due to the age of the children. The community of Saudades likely is enraged at the fact that this attacker was able to penetrate the building with such ease. When it comes to school killings, the public generally lashes out at the government. This can be expected within the community and country over the next few weeks. This article is important because it helps draw attention to the issue, therefore inciting more public response and thus possibly enacting a change in the structure of safety within schools and daycares.
The intentions behind the attack are unclear, therefore making it difficult to categorize this event into a International Relations topic. School shootings/attacks can be defined as domestic terrorism. They affect lots of countries in different ways. The United States tends to have a high amount of school shootings, while in Brazil it is pretty rare. Additionally, this Brazilian attack was with a Machete, not a gun. Taking this into consideration, it is likely that Brazilians will be enraged that this attack was able to unfold with a weapon that is not a gun, therefore creating an interior conflict in the country.