Some ran away, others recorded. Psychologist on the reactions of witnesses to the shooting in Krakow

On Saturday after 15 in the center of Krakow, including on the Main Market Square, a tragic shooting took place. Masked, 24-year-old Michał O., driving a black Subaru, shot at random people. He killed at least 6 people and injured 15. Ultimately, he was shot by police officers and was taken to hospital.

Prof. Tomasz Grzyb, dean of the Faculty of Psychology at SWPS University in Wrocław, draws attention to the extremely different behavior of people who found themselves on the Main Market Square in Krakow on Saturday. Some ran away, looked for shelter and shielded the children with their bodies, others stayed where they were, filming the dramatic events.

Poland is a relatively safe country. These types of situations occur so rarely that we do not have automated response patterns. That's why people behave differently. Some people get carried away by emotions, which is natural in such difficult circumstances, he explains.

“We should think very hard about this as a society.”

The expert emphasizes that people instinctively save primarily children and people for whom they feel responsible. Protecting them with your own body or looking for a safe shelter is an understandable and rational reaction.

The psychologist is concerned about the behavior of witnesses who, instead of running away, took out their phones and recorded the course of the attack, and then published the recordings online. We live in the world of social networking sites and unfortunately some people acted reflexively: they immediately started filming with the intention of posting these materials on their profiles. We should think very carefully about this as a society, he says.

Prof. Tomasz Grzyb notes that the distribution of such recordings may have consequences that go beyond violating the victims' privacy. One of them is to inspire more perpetrators of violence. Potential imitators feed on such material, they want to be talked about, their shameful deeds to be commented on and cause a stir on the Internet. We should not provide them with such fuel, he emphasizes. That is why the way we talk about these events is so important, he adds.

“They want to take advantage of the situation to achieve their goals.”

According to the specialist, the tragedy in Krakow almost immediately became the subject of political disputes and speculations. Before all the circumstances of the attack were established, there was conflicting information about the perpetrator's views.

Such an event arouses great emotions and attracts attention. It also attracts those who try to profit from the tragedy. They want to become known, gain public interest and use the situation to achieve their goals - he says.

In his opinion, information recipients also have an influence on whether the political fight will intensify. It is up to us whether we will allow ourselves to be drawn into a vicious circle of mutual accusations and comments, or whether we will consider what we can do to help people who cannot cope with what they have seen and experienced, he says.