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Announcement by the President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, in the wake of the death of teacher Ene Sarap in a school shooting in Viljandi

27.10.2014

I wish to express my deepest condolences to the family and next of kin of Ene Sarap, the Viljandi teacher who died tragically today, and to the Paalalinna school family in general.

This incident is not a tragedy of one school or one town. It is a tragedy for the whole of Estonia. This is a time of mourning and of shock for each and every one of us.

No conflict in society, the community or a family should end in such violence. I sincerely implore all my compatriots to identify these conflicts and act before it is too late. Let us not ignore situations governed by misunderstandings, anger, bitterness, physical or mental violence, or sadness. Let us talk to each other, support each other, help each other.

Let us give a long, big hug to our children when they come home from school.

I do hope that those in authority will uncover all the details of today's tragedy.