Yesterday, hundreds of people gathered in Tokai to honour the memory of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger, who was tragically murdered in the beautiful forest. According to EWN, her body was discovered in Dennendal Road, two hours after she was reported missing. It is believed she was jogging through the forest – something many people do on a daily basis, when the incident happened.
Solidarity walk in silence #tokaiforest. Senseless. ..brutal. RIP young one. pic.twitter.com/SJ6ZLTLrlw
— Nicki Hill (@xxxsnix) March 8, 2016
This has left the community shaken, and they showed their grief and support for the Blöchliger family with a silent vigil. People walked down the footpath of Tokai Forest in silence. Some held flowers and tokens for Franziska, others wept for her and everyone felt the weight of her loss. It is absolutely incredible that a community can rally together like this in the face of adversity. Not only does it show the strength and humanity of people, it sends out a very important message: We will not let criminals get away with marring our beautiful city.
#TokaiTeen Dozens of people are walking down a footpath in Tokai Forest in honour of Franziska Blöchliger. MM pic.twitter.com/sXi5niAGro
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) March 8, 2016
Understandably, people will feel unsafe going to Tokai and will avoid going there. News24 reports that some residents have called for Tokai to be closed until it’s safer, but we think that the best way to make it safer is to take it back by continuing to go there. All the people who walked in the forest for Franziska did just that for her memory and for the community. This overwhelming support should continue. We should not abandon our community areas for those who want to destroy it. Make sure you are in groups, don’t wander off alone, and most importantly don’t let crime prevent you from enjoying your beautiful city.
