Schools group urges end to freshers’ parties after fatal stabbing

The head of Denmark’s upper-secondary schools association has called for an end to large off-campus freshers’ parties following violent unrest, including the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old in Roskilde, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

Maja Bødtcher-Hansen, chair of Danske Gymnasier, said large gatherings involving thousands of young people and alcohol had led to fights and an unpleasant atmosphere.

“It is unfortunate that this is what young people are confronted with,” she told news agency Ritzau.

She said she would prefer such events not to take place at all. Instead, she wants schools, parents and students to create better conditions during the first period of upper-secondary school.

“My ideal scenario is that the communities they establish focus on the school, rather than these huge gatherings of students from all kinds of schools and many people they have no reason to have a relationship with,” she said.

Unrest during start-of-school celebrations

Young people gathered at several locations across Denmark on Friday to celebrate starting upper-secondary school. Several events ended in unrest, including in Frederiksberg, where a large group became involved in a fight.

In Roskilde, the unrest became so violent that a 16-year-old boy was killed in a stabbing. Another 16-year-old boy has been charged with manslaughter and was remanded in custody in connection with the case on Saturday.

The incident is not the first report of unrest linked to introductory parties held away from schools. There have also previously been reports of trouble at freshers’ parties in Dyrehaven, a wooded park north of Copenhagen.

Bødtcher-Hansen said the Roskilde stabbing and the unrest in Frederiksberg showed that action was needed. She also said young people faced considerable pressure to attend the events.

She urged parents to become more involved and discuss with their children that it was acceptable to refuse permission for them to attend.

Most upper-secondary schools hold parent meetings during the first period after students begin. Bødtcher-Hansen hopes the meetings can be used to discuss how parents and schools can support one another and encourage young people to choose events held at school or with their classmates.

Roskilde Mayor Tomas Breddam of the Social Democrats told DR on Saturday that he had contacted the city’s upper-secondary schools to ask why freshers’ parties should be held in the municipality.