Moment of silence
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate is about honoring the memory of those who were murdered at Risbergska skolan in Örebro 1. The Speaker emphasizes that the mass shooting was an attack on humanity and respect for every person's value 1. It is important to understand why the incident occurred in order to be able to make the right choices for the future and prevent anything similar from happening again 1. The Speaker highlights people's capacity for love and kindness, which was shown through the victims' greetings to their loved ones and the staff's readiness to act 1. Society is urged to mourn the lost and unite in a promise to never let violence triumph 1.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
TALMANNEN
Honorable members and ministers! We have gathered here today in the chamber of the Riksdag, the heart of Swedish democracy, so that we, as the people's primary representatives according to the Instrument of Government, shall honor the memory of those who were murdered in the horrific act of violence at Risbergska school in Örebro.
We gather here in the chamber because the mass shooting in Örebro was not only an attack on the individuals who fell victim to the murderer's bullets, but also an attack on everything our country and our society is, everything we want Sweden to stand for - humanity and respect for every person's unique and invaluable worth.
When we, all around in our entire country, lowered the Swedish flag to half-mast this morning and then let it fly at full mast again just now, when the minute of silence had concluded, it was a silent, symbolic act of resistance against the violence. The message was that we first mourn the victims and the damage that our society has suffered, but that we then, in the midst of the grief, unite in a determination not to let the violence and the evil triumph.
We are all waiting for answers to the question of why this happened, why people who went to school to broaden their knowledge and to develop as individuals and as members of society became targets of senseless violence, and why hundreds of children, young people, and adults all around Örebro experienced a terrifying afternoon waiting to be allowed to leave their locked schools.
The answer to the question of why is important for everyone who has been personally affected. It is important for the many people with a foreign background who now feel a particular anxiety. It is important for our entire society. The answer is needed so that we can make the right choices for the future, so that we can prevent something similar from happening again.
While waiting for an answer, many during the past week have tried to put into words what has happened. Words are not always enough, and sometimes silence is just as powerful as words. But I still believe that words can help us understand what is truly inconceivable. Two words that I have thought much about during these dark days are evil and love. We humans are capable of committing evil deeds that cause immeasurable suffering, but we also have the ability to love, to show love and goodness - towards those who mean the most to us but also towards those we do not know.
When we look back on these days of sorrow in the future, I am convinced that the evidence of love, goodness, humanity, solidarity, and community will shine so much more strongly than the perpetrator's evil acts. These evidences will shine like sparkling stars on a dark winter night.
Most of all, of course, are the poignant stories we have been made aware of about how people at Risbergska skolan sent messages of love to their loved ones when they did not know whether they would survive or not. Their thoughts were not filled with hatred towards the perpetrator but with love for their relatives. It shows how deeply rooted the ability to love is within us humans.
But I am also thinking of the school's employees and students who warned each other of the danger, helped the injured, and ensured that as many as possible could get to safety. I am thinking about how important it was that Örebro municipality had ensured that everyone at the school knew how they should act in a situation like this.
I am thinking of the police and the employees within SOS Alarm, the rescue services, and healthcare who did everything they could to help and save lives. I am thinking of the caretaker who saw a woman shot. His first thought was to help his neighbor, not to save himself. He ran towards the danger, not towards safety.
I am thinking of the wave of warmth and humanity that has swept over our country since the unthinkable happened. The sorrow that has characterized the past week is shared. It is among us all, in our entire society. But it is also individual, personal for those who have been particularly affected.
"I cannot share your sorrow; it is indivisible, whole," wrote Bodil Malmsten in the poem Sorrow, which I often return to. But our message to you who have lost a loved one is nevertheless: You are not alone. Bodil Malmsten's poem indeed has a continuation: "I am the spared part of you. I just want to say that we are here."
It is in situations like these that we show who we are as individuals but also as a society. That so many on that fateful day showed readiness to act, selflessness, and courage fills me with confidence. That so many during the past week have shown humanity gives me hope.
Let us mourn those we have lost, but at the same time be united in the promise that we will never let violence triumph.
The memorial service concluded with the poet and member of the Swedish Academy, Jila Mossaed, reading a poem from her collection Vad jag saknades här.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.