He stabs his teacher and tries to film everything. The teacher: 'I care for him, I would like to hug him'

A student at a middle school in Rome sprayed pepper spray in the face of a teacher, Isabella Marsilio, 66, before stabbing her with a knife. The incident occurred at a school in the Centocelle area. Carabinieri arrived on the scene following a call to the emergency number 112.

The 13-year-old boy also had a mobile phone connected to Telegram and — according to reports — allegedly attempted to film the scene through a live video call. The attack was stopped by one of his classmates. The teacher was subsequently discharged from hospital and returned home. "She is well but in shock," her son confirmed. "She received three stab wounds to the side, just below the breast. It is a miracle that the blows did not strike any internal organs."

"I care for him and I am deeply sorry that I only now understand how strong and profound his distress was. I am truly sorry if he mistook my teaching for accusations or punishment." This is how the victim, Professor Isabella Marsilio, responded in an interview with La Repubblica.it, when asked what she would like to say to the young student. "Even though I never punished him. He harboured a great anger inside himself towards me, and I feel immense sorrow for his suffering," she said, adding that she wants to meet him "to give him a hug." Regarding the incident, the teacher recounted what happened: "I was afraid I was going to die. He was stabbing me and remained silent." "It was 9:20. Without knocking, I saw my student walk in," the teacher recounted. "I looked at him but did not have time to realise what was happening. He was wearing a cycling helmet and a pair of glasses with a camera. In his left hand he was holding a canister of pepper spray, which he sprayed in my face. Then he struck me with a dagger that had a blade of at least 20 centimetres. He never said a word. Nothing. Neither before nor after." Regarding the 13-year-old who carried out the attack, she noted: "Last year he had shown signs of inner distress. He is an only child, his parents live for him. There were certain behaviours that gave cause for thought. On many occasions he displayed a sense of anger, irritation, and superiority, even towards his classmates. He was very unsettled." In response to some posts in favour of remigration published on social media by the teacher, and to the fact that the young man who saved her is of Congolese origin, the teacher replied: "There is nothing inconsistent between an idea I express on social media and applauding a young boy who saved my life. My views do not change." So she still holds the same views on remigration? "Of course," Marsilio stated. "My student from Congo has every right to be here and should be given a medal. It is a different matter for those who come here and commit crimes."

The episode recalls what happened in March 2026 near Bergamo, where a 57-year-old teacher, Chiara Mocchi, was stabbed at school by a 13-year-old student. The teacher recounted that she had also survived thanks to the intervention of another student, who confronted the attacker to defend her.

This time, it may have been a failing grade that triggered the attack. "He did it because he had received a failing grade and hated her," students said outside the school. The incident took place in Rome, at the Giuseppe Verga Institute, in the Centocelle neighborhood. The teacher, a literature teacher in her final year of work before retirement. Students were let out through the back of the school at the normal end-of-lessons time. The School Councillor of the Fifth Municipality, Cecilia Fannunza, went to the school to show solidarity with the teaching staff.

He was wearing a helmet connected to his phone to film the attack and broadcast it live on Telegram channels. This is the account given by the boy's classmates. The incident allegedly occurred during the first period. The student, according to his classmates, was the last to enter the classroom, having gone to the bathroom to put on the helmet with the connected camera, and then sprayed irritant spray at the teacher. He then allegedly stabbed her in the side before being stopped by a classmate. The young man was supposed to take a make-up test to recover the failing grade he had received at the end of last year.

"We went to show our solidarity with the teacher. We spoke with her: she is frightened and cannot comprehend what happened or why. She has been a teacher for many years, she had one year left before retirement, she has dedicated her entire life to school and to students. What happened has deeply affected her. She cannot make sense of it. We are also deeply affected. It is no coincidence that next week we will be opening a youth center for young people, also to keep them from being at the mercy of these social media platforms, which require greater oversight." This was stated by the president of the Fifth Municipality, Mauro Caliste, and the school councillor Cecilia Fannunza, speaking to ANSA.

The school community is "shaken" by what happened and is calling for "discretion and cooperation. We are talking about minors," said the principal of the Verga Institute in Rome. The boy had been at that school for 8 years, having also attended primary school there. "Now we must think about the students," the principal reiterated, explaining that there had been no warning signs. He had never been problematic, had never raised "concern in this regard, of any kind, neither here nor at home."

Valditara: 'Ban social media for under-15s.' The minister calls the principal; the boy had never caused problems.

Upon learning of the wounding of a teacher, the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara immediately contacted the school principal Wanda Giacomini of the "Giovanni Verga" Institute in Rome, expressing closeness and solidarity with the stabbed teacher and the entire school community.

The young attacker had always been considered a quiet boy, without any particular issues. According to initial information, yet to be confirmed, the young man allegedly filmed the act on video, and the influence of social media and violent websites he had reportedly been accessing in recent times may have played a role in the incident. "In addition to education on respect and awareness of the risks associated with the internet, we must prevent children under 15 from accessing dangerous social media and channels. In this regard, the Kids Act of the EU Commission is moving in the right direction. Clear rules must be established to protect young people, and at the same time, as we are already doing, we must restore respect for the authority of teachers and rules, discipline and a sense of responsibility to everyday school life. We must not be afraid to assert that those who do wrong must face consequences," said Valditara.

Save the Children: 'Guarantee spaces for listening'

"School must be a safe place for girls, boys and teachers alike — a place to learn and build healthy relationships that support growth. In this sense, incidents such as the one that occurred today in Rome are deeply troubling and draw attention to the need to invest with greater determination in the psychological and relational wellbeing of young people." This was stated by Save the Children, which emphasized that only through shared responsibility among families, schools and the educational community can we help prevent similar episodes.

The organisation considers it essential to strengthen the educational role of schools, support teachers and guarantee young people spaces for listening, emotional education programmes and tools to manage anger, frustration and distress. Furthermore, Save the Children continues, "it would be wrong to interpret events such as this as the expression of an entire generation. The attack was in fact stopped by a classmate, in an act of courage and responsibility that demonstrates how young people can be part of the solution. It is precisely by valuing and strengthening positive peer dynamics that effective educational responses can be built. Should it be confirmed that the attack was also planned to be filmed and shared online," Save the Children concludes, "we would be facing a possible phenomenon of emulation, or a search for visibility and recognition through extreme acts and forms of bullying. This is an element that highlights the urgency of investing in digital awareness among young people, helping girls and boys understand the mechanisms through which visibility is transformed into a form of personal affirmation and the exercise of power over others, and instead recognise modes of relating based on respect, responsibility and the building of positive relationships, including with adult reference figures."

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