(#OkullarGüvenliDeğil) What is the story behind this trend in Social Media today?
24-09-2026
The hashtag emerged as a public outcry over repeated violent incidents at and around schools in Turkey. The immediate trigger was a shooting on 22 September 2026 in front of a vocational high school in Turgutlu, Manisa. A 15-year-old student used a shotgun taken from a relative’s house and opened fire as classmates arrived, wounding eleven students, three of them seriously.The attack occurred less than a day after the Ministries of National Education and Interior signed a new cooperation protocol promising stronger protective measures for students. That timing intensified anger: many saw official assurances of improved security contradicted by yet another attack.The incident was not isolated. Earlier in 2026, similar shootings in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş had already killed students and a teacher who tried to protect them. Those events, together with other cases of teachers being stabbed or attacked by students, had already produced reports from education unions documenting rising violence, inadequate counseling services, weak early-warning systems, easy access to weapons, and insufficient physical security at many schools.People using the hashtag argue that schoolsplaces that should be among the safest environments for children and teachershave become sites of fear. They point to overcrowded classrooms, limited psychological support, unmonitored school surroundings, and a pattern of reactive rather than preventive official responses. The campaign also seeks to keep earlier victims from being forgotten and to press for lasting structural changes rather than short-term announcements.In short, the trend reflects accumulated frustration after a series of school-related attacks, with the latest Manisa shooting serving as the spark that brought the slogan “schools are not safe” back into widespread circulation.