Mass stabbing

A mass stabbing can be defined from a number of different perspectives. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb 'stab' as an action that propels a pointed weapon with the intention of harm or murder. A mass stabbing is an incident involving the use of pointed weapons to wound or kill multiple people. Mass stabbings can be looked at from the scope of knife crime. Based on a publication by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, 'knife-enabled crime' is an incident where harm is threatened or caused with the use of bladed weapons. The media also refers to 'knife crime' as a stabbing incident or the illegal possession of knives by a person in the public. Mass stabbings can also be looked at from the perspective of mass murder. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America has defined mass murder as an incident where four or more people are killed in a single incident on a continuing basis without any significant time period in between each of the murders. Mass murder as a violent crime in a civilian setting is mostly examined through mass shootings. An examination of Supplementary Homicide Reports by USA Today recorded that "nearly one third" of mass murder incidents in the United States between 2006 and 2016 were committed using weapons including knives; the remainder were by shooting. James Alan Fox wrote that as a result of a larger focus on mass shootings in regards to the political gun control debate in the US, there is less research and data regarding knife-enabled mass murders. Jack Levin reasoned that blades and blunt weapons were unreliable in killing a large number of people simultaneously due to a lack of "mass destructive" capability, also noting that potential victims had to be within close range, enabling them to also physically engage the perpetrator. The view was held that knife attacks resulted in death in smaller numbers and in fewer cases when compared to mass shootings. == Causes==

A World Health Organization (WHO) report states that past victimisation is one of the risk factors causing violence. Both terrorist groups used publications such as Dabiq of IS and Inspire of al-Qaeda to propagate the ideologies of the organisations and demonize their opponents, particularly the western democracy and their values. Mass stabbing incidents are more common in nations that restrict or ban the private ownership of firearms. Individuals who do not have access to firearms typically turn to other weapons in order to inflict harm. In nations with strict firearms regulation such as the United Kingdom and Japan, knives are the most commonly used weapon to commit murder. In 2021 through 2022, the Home Office of the United Kingdom reported that England and Wales saw 282 homicides committed with a knife compared to 35 homicides committed with a firearm in the same year. In the United States, firearms are most commonly used by people looking to inflict harm due to their wide availability and ease of access in many states. Of the 15,129 homicides committed in the US in 2017, 10,982 involved a firearm while 1,591 homicides involved a knife or cutting instrument. These factors make mass shootings in the United States a far more common incident than mass stabbings or acts of mass violence committed by other means. Pro-gun lawmakers such as Brad Wenstrup have cited mass stabbings in other countries to argue against measures to limit firearms ownership, arguing that mass murderers will still try to commit their attacks using knives or other means including bombs and vehicles instead of firearms. Political reasons may be another cause of mass stabbings. Various studies have been conducted by scholars and researchers to examine the relationship between political repression and terrorism. In general, there is a lack of consensus on the relationship between repression and violence. However, another study showed that there was a positive correlation between repression and violence in the short-run, but the correlation turns negative in the long-run. == Reactions ==

Government and law enforcement The Government of the United Kingdom announced on 31 January 2019 that they would introduce the Knife Crime Prevention Orders through an amendment to the Offensive Weapons Bill in conjunction with the government's effort in tackling knife crime. The new preventative order can be placed on any person aged 12 or over, where curfews, geographical restrictions and social media restrictions may be imposed on the targets of the police. England and Wales saw 85% of their knife crime offenders jailed for at least three months. Members of the law enforcement community has also lobbied the government for extra funding to tackle crimes. The Government of the United Kingdom has also announced extra funding of £100m to security forces in England and Wales to tackle crimes, specifically knife crimes. Schools Schools have also taken precautionary measure to prevent knife crime in school compounds. A WHO report states that creating safe learning environment in schools is critical in preventing violence and knife crime among young people. Some experts have attributed the backlash against the Islamic religion and Muslims to the terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom which were carried out by Muslims. All of the attacks happened in the United Kingdom in 2017. == Examples of mass stabbings==

2001 Ikeda school massacre The Ikeda school massacre (sometimes referred to as the Osaka school massacre) was a school stabbing and mass murder that occurred in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on 8 June 2001. Mamoru Takuma, a 37-year-old ex-convict with a history of mentally disturbed and anti-social behavior, stabbed eight students to death and seriously wounded fifteen others in a knife attack that lasted several minutes. Takuma was sentenced to death in August 2003, and executed in September 2004. As of 2025, it is the deadliest school stabbing in Japanese history. 2016 Sagamihara knife attack At 2:20 am on 26 July 2016, a man launched a knife attack at a center for the disabled people at Sagamihara, a town west of Tokyo, Japan. 19 residents of the care center were killed, and an additional 26 people were wounded. The suspect, former employee Satoshi Uematsu, surrendered himself at a police station near the site of the attack shortly after. The attack was the worst mass killing case in Japan in decades. Alerts relating to the incidents were extended to Manitoba and Alberta. Some of the victims were believed to have been targeted, while others were randomly attacked. On September 7, 2022, the suspect, identified as Myles Sanderson, was found and arrested near Rosthern. Shortly after being taken into custody, Sanderson died from overdosing on cocaine. 2024 Southport stabbings On 29 July 2024, a mass stabbing targeting children occurred at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Three children were killed, and 10 other people—eight of whom were children—were injured, some of them severely. Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old British citizen born in Cardiff to parents from Rwanda, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article. In January 2025, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to all charges and was subsequently sentenced to a minimum term of 52 years in prison. Due to the fact that Rudakubana was underage at the time of the crime, he was ineligible for a whole life order, though the judge said it's unlikely "he will ever be released". == References ==