It was the day that Finns broke their silence, abandoned their legendary stoicism.<\/p>\n
As flags fluttered at half-mast across the nation and candles lit in the icy wind, the survivors of the country\u2019s first chilling school bloodbath tried to talk away their fears.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinns usually prefer to maintain a stiff upper lip during an emotional crisis,\u201d\u009d said youth worker Jenni Lehtinen in Jokela church, an hour\u2019s drive out of Helsinki. \u201cThis time it\u2019s different \u201d\u201d the kids cannot stop talking, asking where it is safe nowadays if not in their own school.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
As if to underline the new sense of insecurity in this most placid of Nordic societies, two armoured personnel carriers have been parked close to the school. Only the Army and the church, it seems, can reassure these young Finns.<\/p>\n
The shooting spree by a disturbed 18-year-old student, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, has stunned the nation. In 20 minutes around noon on Wednesday \u201d\u201d maths for some pupils, English for others \u201d\u201d Auvinen used his newly acquired Sig Sauer pistol to kill the headmistress, the school nurse and six pupils. At least a dozen others were injured.<\/p>\n