ANKARA: Grieving communities held funerals on Thursday for eight children and a teacher in southern Turkiye, killed when a 14-year-old opened fire at a school in one of two recent attacks that have shocked the country, sparking protests and a widespread government crackdown on social media.

As mourners flocked around coffins draped in the Turkish flag in Kahramanmaras, authorities said they have detained more than 160 people on charges ranging from spreading misleading information to praising two deadly school shootings this week online.

The attacks — one on Wednesday that killed nine and another on Tuesday that injured 16 — have triggered a national outcry over school safety.

“We have a tremendous pain,” said Vezir Yucel, whose son played football with one of the victims, 10-year-old Bayram Nabi Sisik. “He was such a good kid, respectful and very hardworking.”

The public anger fuelled protests, with some 3,500 teachers gathering in the capital, Ankara, to demand the education minister’s resignation. Demonstrators shouted, “Blood has stained my profession”, and “Where were you while the children were dying”, while calling for a two-day national strike.

Wednesday’s attacker, the son of a former police officer, died at the scene, authorities said. Police stated that initial findings suggest the shooting was an “isolated act,” noting the perpetrator had referenced a 2014 US mass shooter on his WhatsApp profile.

An ex-student who carried out Tuesday’s attack in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa also died after taking his own life, officials said.

In response to the online reaction, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said access to more than 1,100 social media accounts had been blocked in the crackdown against users who praised the attacks or posted new threats against schools.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2026