Polish teen subjected to bullying commits suicide; Unrest at her Helmond school

A high school in Helmond has been plunged into chaos after a group of students allegedly bullied a 14-year-old Polish girl who then committed suicide, Omroep Brabant reported. The school has been criticized online for being aware of the bullying, but not addressing the situation, and several accused of bullying the girl have faced abuse and threats online.

The school claims to have offered support to Nina, the girl who took her own life a week and a half ago. A silent march will be held Sunday in Nina’s honor.

The girl’s school and the organization that it belongs to have received many indignant messages via social media and mail. “Messages like: ‘you should be ashamed’, and ‘how can you allow discrimination?” a spokesperson said to Omroep Brabant. The spokesperson said that the abuse that the school is receiving is not justified.

"It all feels threatening. People are making all kinds of assumptions that are not true. It is said that we do nothing to stop bullying, but that is not the case. What we knew about the bullying has been addressed. The school is also devastated."

Photographs and personal information of the alleged bullies have been shared on social media. Police told Omroep Brabant that they have received two reports of people saying they are being threatened online.

Police have called on people to stop sharing photos, personal data, or rumors connected to Nina’s death online. "We know that a lot of information is going around online, often incorrect information," says a police spokesperson.

“This creates even more unrest and this can harm others if you just throw names out into the world."

Police also said that they are currently discussing whether officers should be present at the silent march this weekend.