{"id":87092,"date":"2023-12-23T01:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-23T01:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.estaql.com\/prague-in-mourning-after-deadly-mass-shooting-but-survivor-says-city-will-stand-strong-world-news\/"},"modified":"2023-12-23T01:39:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-23T01:39:00","slug":"prague-in-mourning-after-deadly-mass-shooting-but-survivor-says-city-will-stand-strong-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estaql.com\/seo\/prague-in-mourning-after-deadly-mass-shooting-but-survivor-says-city-will-stand-strong-world-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Prague in mourning after deadly mass shooting – but survivor says city ‘will stand strong’ | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Prague in mourning after deadly mass shooting – but survivor says city ‘will stand strong’ | World News<\/h2>\n
Prague in mourning after deadly mass shooting – but survivor says city ‘will stand strong’ | World News<\/p>\n
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There is snow billowing around the heart of Prague and the skies are dark and threatening. But a small crowd of people are simply standing, and staring.<\/p>\n
They are looking at the flickering candles and flowers that have been left in front of the Charles University building, a memorial to those who came here and were killed in the most brutal way.<\/p>\n
From through the clouds of snow, Sergei Medvedev crosses the road, a thick grey woolen hat on his head and a bunch of flowers in his hand.<\/p>\n
He is here to pay his own respects, but Sergei is not simply sympathetic to the suffering of others. He was there. Right there.<\/p>\n
Read more on this story: Prague mass shooting: What do we know so far? Bodycam footage shows police storming university building<\/strong><\/p>\n
Sergei is a professor at the university, as well as a radio broadcaster. He is fluent and thoughtful; it’s not hard to see why he has prospered as an academic.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, he was giving a lecture on the building’s third floor (“that corner over there,” he says, pointing) when he heard discordant noises.<\/p>\n
He passed it off as a passing distraction. But then came the police sirens, and the creeping sense of danger.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n Image:<\/span> \n Sergei Medvedev, a professor at the Charles University, as well as a radio broadcaster \n <\/span> \n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n Image:<\/span> \n Staff and students barricaded themselves into a lecture theatre with chairs and tables during the shooting \n <\/span> \n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
“There was shouting in the corridor, sirens everywhere, and we realised that something was wrong. We looked out and the whole square had been cleared; there were police all over the place.<\/p>\n
“Then there were shots and we understood it was some kind of a terrorist act. So we blocked ourselves inside the auditorium; we took all the desks and chairs towards the doors to lock the doors.<\/p>\n
“We turned out the lights and tried to stay away from the doors.<\/p>\n
“At one point the special forces broke in, checked the room, then left. Then there was further shouting and shooting.<\/p>\n
“Then an hour later the special forces came in for a second time, lay us on the floor and. Searched us rather gently.<\/p>\n
“They took us out of the building walking down the stairs. There was blood all over the place – blood on the stairs, blood on the steps.”<\/p>\n
It is a terrifying picture that he paints, yet here he looks composed.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n Image:<\/span> \n People also climbed out on to a ledge to hide from the shooter \n <\/span> \n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
“Everyone stayed calm. Everyone behaved bravely,” he says, thoughtfully.<\/p>\n
“There were a couple of dozen students in that room and I knew that I was responsible for them. When we ran, when we saw the blood – you don’t reflect on it then.<\/p>\n
“You have your hands on your head and you are running for safety. It’s like seeing a movie of yourself. You just keep taking the next step. You keep moving.”<\/p>\n
He is convinced that Prague will come together in the wake of this awful tragedy, but admits it’s a shock for those who have taken for granted this city’s reputation for being safe and peaceful.<\/p>\n
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