World Leaders Respond to Prague Mass Shooting at Charles University

World leaders have reacted to this afternoon’s shooting at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts in central Prague, which has left at least 15 dead and dozens injured.

“I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Czech people as a whole,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in a post on X on Thursday. “We stand and mourn with you.”

 

Shocked by the senseless violence of the shooting that claimed several lives today in Prague.

I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Czech people as a whole.

We stand and mourn with you.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 21, 2023

President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola tweeted. “We should leave no place for such violence in our societies,” Metsola emphasized, underlining the need for concerted efforts to prevent such incidents in the future. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed these sentiments, expressing regret and emphasizing that the victims were innocent individuals.

Jsem hluboce zděšena útokem na Univerzitě Karlově v Praze.

Je srdcervoucí vidět jednu z nejstarších evropských univerzit jako dějiště teroru.

V myšlenkách jsem s rodinami obětí a přeji brzké uzdravení zraněným.

Evropa stojí při Česku 🇪🇺🇨🇿

— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) December 21, 2023

 

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was horrified by the news of the shooting at the university in Prague. “My thoughts go out to the victims and their relatives,” Steinmeier said.

Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová reached out to Czech President Petr Pavel, offering condolences and any necessary assistance.

“I am incredibly sorry that such a tragedy occurred at our neighbors near Christmas,” Caputova expressed today, highlighting the poignancy of the incident occurring during a time typically associated with peace and family. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock conveyed shock and condolences, with Baerbock emphasizing that the attack had struck the “heart of Europe.”

Sledujem správy o streľbe na Filozofickej fakulte v Prahe a myslím na všetky nevinné obete, na ich príbuzných a priateľov. Je mi neuveriteľne ľúto, že k takejto tragédii u našich susedov prišlo v predvečer Vianoc, sviatkov pokoja a rodiny.

Vyjadrujem úprimnú sústrasť a chcem…

— Zuzana Čaputová (@ZuzanaCaputova) December 21, 2023

U.S. Ambassador to Czechia Bijan Sabet wrote on X: “Today’s mass shooting in Prague breaks my heart. My deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We [the U.S.] are with you during this difficult time.”

Today’s mass shooting in Prague breaks my heart. My deepest condolences to the victims and their families. At @USEmbassyPrague we are with you in this difficult time – with everyone at @unikarlova , with all citizens of the Czech Republic. My gratitude to the brave police and… https://t.co/zEywTQaX6y

— Bijan Sabet (@bijan) December 21, 2023

The interior minister, Vit Rakusan, said on social media that the shooting was “unprecedented” in the history of the Czech Republic. “I want to express my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims of the shooting,” he said.

Strašlivý čin, který nemá v historii ČR obdoby, si bohužel vyžádal několik životů. Chci vyjádřit upřímnou soustrast rodinám a blízkým všech obětí střelby. Myslím také na ostatní studentky a studenty, pedagožky a pedagogy a všechny ostatní, kteří tuhle traumatizující událost…

— Vít Rakušan (@Vit_Rakusan) December 21, 2023

PM Fiala: Prague shooting not act of terrorism

Thursday’s shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University was neither international terrorism nor the act of an organised group, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters on Thursday. At the moment, it appears that was the act of a lone gunman, he said.

The Czech Prime Minister said the security forces have assured him that they have the situation fully under control and that there is no danger to citizens. He also asked everyone to cooperate with the police and follow their instruction.

In 2019, a gunman killed six people in a hospital’s waiting room in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava. That had been the deadliest shooting since 2015, when a gunman killed eight people at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod, about 180 miles southeast of Prague.