Thestabbing of the boy, who later died, at the Einaudi-Chiodo vocational institute in La Spezia on 16 January is a case that is tremendously frightening and should worry us: the school, a place of education and learning, becoming a theatre of violence. A real nightmare for the whole of Italy.

This is where it becomes essential to analyse, in schools, what happened; the anxiety generated by such an episode must remain an unpleasant memory and no longer be dramatic.

The incident

On the morning of 16 January, Youssef Abanoub, an 18-year-old student of Egyptian origin from the vocational school in La Spezia, was stabbed several times in the ribs by another 19-year-old student of Moroccan nationality.

The quarrel between the two apparently started in the toilets at recess for sentimental reasons. Then one of the two pulled out a knife, frightening Youssef who took refuge in the classroom. Soon, however, he was caught up and hit in the side and side; those blows cost him his death at about 8 p.m. the same day.

The horror of the scene caused many of the classmates to flee; fortunately not the teacher on time, who appears to have disarmed the attacker, now charged with aggravated murder.

Too many precedents of violence at school

The one described above is, unfortunately, not an isolated case. We often hear of episodes in which schools become the scene of violence and tragedies, which mark and ruin the reputation of the institution that by definition should educate.

• On 17 September 2025, in Naples, an 18-year-old student was hit with a hammer at the school entrance by a 17-year-old from his own school.

• In Monza, at the beginning of 2025, a female teacher was assaulted by a minor pupil with fists and slaps on her face, forcing her to be hospitalised.

• In October 2025, in Naples, a ten-year-old boy was attacked by a physically stronger classmate, with the apparently distracted teachers taken by surprise.

These are just a few examples of serious and relevant events in recent months, which show that violence, even among the very young, is becoming increasingly rampant.

A worrying trend of youth violence

In such cases, many people ask: “In what world do we live?”

These facts, especially when they involve young students in their schools, cannot but draw attention to this despicable growing trend and worry children and parents out of all proportion.

In a world where such incidents should not even be thought of, we hear all too often of fights, stabbings, assaults: why all this?

Why is dialogue, for many, no longer the way forward?

Faced with the individual events described, it is very difficult to understand how such violence came about and who it was that first transmitted it to these young perpetrators.

In general, however, from violence comes violence; from bad example comes an episode to condemn. Someone is guilty, someone did not educate those who committed these shames enough.

In the crosshairs, inevitably, everyone is in the crosshairs: starting with parents and teachers; sometimes not enough educators to explain that violence is not a means, but only an offence. Not forgetting the social media, often the stage for episodes too often replicated by the minority of teenagers my peers who absorb the evil and pass it on to those who observe them.

How can we, we innocent readers of tragedy, try to change anything that happens?

Dear students, let our voices be heard

Dear fellow students, let us raise our voices.

If you feel fear, fear, anger, anxiety and deep sadness at these incidents, now is the time to make yourself heard. If you fear that what you read you might experience in your own skin, now is the time to shout it to the world.

Our best means of prevention is to know: in order to eradicate violence, we must be the first to want to deal with these topics, to want to debate possible solutions, to want to study the causes in order to finally rid ourselves of this scourge.

There is no room for violence in our lives, nor is there room for violence in our schools.

Dear teachers, help us to really grow

Help us to stop feeling fear. Pause programmes when something happens that cannot be kept silent.

When the news sees some of your pupils’ peers as protagonists, perhaps it is time to pause for a moment. Perhaps it is an opportunity to reflect, all together in the classroom, on the sad news, in an attempt to build, piece by piece, a better future.

Have your say too, dear teachers, help us to calm down. Because we can no longer enter the school with the fear of not being able to leave. Because among those around us there must not be anyone ready to hurt us behind our backs.

To truly change the violent world we face, one of the most powerful means we have is speech, related to thought.

Let us discuss and inform ourselves of what is happening, to seek solutions and grow together: to put down the knives and resume dialogue.

Francesco Giudice is an Italian student, attending the fifth class of a scientific high school.