Three-Day National Mourning Declared After Attack in Graz School

This was announced by Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) on Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in Graz. All of Austria will commemorate the victims during the three days, and the Austrian flag will be flown at half-mast on all public buildings. Additionally, a nationwide minute of silence for the victims will be held on Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM.

Three-Day National Mourning Announced

"The solidarity of the entire country should provide some comfort to the bereaved and relatives of the victims of this terrible act in these dark hours," concluded Stocker in his statement. A decision by the Council of Ministers is required for the national mourning, as previously stated by a spokesperson for the Chancellor to the APA. This decision is expected to be made today, Tuesday, by circular resolution.

Ö3 Started Helpline Earlier

Following the attack in a Graz school on Tuesday morning, the ORF radio station Ö3 started its "helpline" service earlier than usual. In addition, ORF TV, as well as radio and online channels, are continuously adjusting their programming to the developments. Besides ongoing reporting, a "ZIB Special" is scheduled for 8:15 PM on ORF 2. The "Report" will also address the events in Graz starting at 9:05 PM, and the "ZIB 2" will be expanded with a "ZIB Talk" on the topic.

Graz/Vienna. Additionally, the channel ORF III will cover the tragic events from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM and from 7:20 PM to 8:15 PM, as announced by ORF in a press release. Besides the ongoing reports from the Styrian regional studio, a special broadcast "Styria Mourns" will start at 6:00 PM with Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl and Edwin Benko from the crisis intervention team. Furthermore, programs such as "Styria Today" or the radio journals will provide information. According to ORF, the Ö3 helpline is "accessible free of charge from all networks" at 116 123. The service, offered daily for around 40 years between 4:00 PM and midnight, started two hours earlier than usual today.

ORF points to various organizations that offer unbureaucratic and free assistance in dealing with personal crisis situations. An overview can be found at: https://oe3.ORF.at/stories/3048317.

FPÖ Postpones Party Congress

The FPÖ has postponed its party congress planned for the weekend due to the attack in a Graz school with multiple fatalities. Party leader Herbert Kickl was originally supposed to stand for re-election on Saturday in Kitzbühel. The shocking events in Graz would make a party congress in the coming days impossible, it was stated in a press release on Tuesday. It is now scheduled to take place in the fall.

"Today I suggested to the Freedom Party family to postpone the upcoming federal party congress," Kickl announced. "Austria, the FPÖ, and I personally are deeply dismayed and shocked. We will and want to dedicate the next few days to the memory of the victims, their families, and friends, who have been robbed of the most precious in the most terrible way, as days of peace and remembrance." Everything has its time, said Kickl. "Now is the time for mourning, comforting, and silence - not for major political events." Kickl thanked all regional groups for the joint approach.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.