ZAGREB, 12 June, 2021 - The Preporod teachers' union said on Saturday Education Minister Radovan Fuchs' statement about an incident in a Zadar high school, where students poured a disinfectant in a teacher's drink, was ill-advised and harmful in many ways and his interference in the disciplinary proceedings unacceptable.

"The minister should not interfere in the work of bodies in charge of resolving situations like this one, particularly not before sanctions are determined. Also inappropriate is his statement, regardless of his reputation as an expert on poisons, that 'the amount of the disinfectant could not have caused more serious consequences'," the union says.

It notes that the incident calls for strong condemnation by the education authorities and an appropriate punishment for the perpetrator or perpetrators.

"This is a new, very dangerous form of violent school behaviour and only an appropriate punishment... can send an unambiguous message to possible future perpetrators of similar acts," the union says in a statement, noting that the minister's statement downplays the incident and justifies the perpetrators without even mentioning the victim.

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