In a disturbing turn of events in France, 145 partygoers were pricked with syringes during a nationwide music festival. The attacks occurred across various locations in the country, with Paris police confirming at least 13 cases in the capital alone. According to the interior ministry, 12 people were detained. Police also suspect whether the cases of “needle spiking” are related to date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, which can leave a person confused, helpless, and at risk of being harmed. Millions of people took to the streets over the weekend for the nationwide celebration Fête de la Musique, with officials describing the crowds in Paris as “unprecedented.” According to the Paris police chief, there were three to four times as many people in Paris as normal. Some victims were taken to the hospital for toxicological tests.
What The Interior Ministry Said
The Interior Ministry said that “Some victims were taken to the hospital for toxicological tests.” The interior ministry reported that 12 people have been arrested across France in connection with the syringe attacks. Among them, four were taken into custody in the south-western city of Angoulême. These four suspects are believed to have targeted around 50 victims during the incidents. Two men were arrested in the centre of the north-eastern city of Metz on suspicion of carrying out syringe attacks. According to the regional public broadcaster France 3, one of the men was found in possession of a syringe, while a woman who reported being pricked with one recognised the other man as the person responsible.
The local prosecutor’s office in Metz said the alleged victims were believed to be under 18. One of the alleged suspects, a 20-year-old man, was already known to the police for previous acts of violence. Typically, the attacker targets the victim’s leg or buttocks when pricking them. According to various news reports, several young women had complained of being stabbed with syringes in Évreux and Rouen in Normandy. Some were reportedly taken to the hospital with pain in their arms, where needles had gone stuck into them. In the western city of Tours, 13 women complained to fire services on duty at a music event that someone had pricked them with a syringe.
Summer Music Festival Season And Recent Syringe Attacks
This is not the first time France has faced concerns over syringe attacks. Several such incidents have been reported earlier in Paris and other cities. These attacks generally target both women and men in clubs, bars, music events, and even theatres.
Paris is preparing for its summer music festival season. There was a wave of reports in 2022 about alleged syringe attacks. The government had put out messages at the time for people going out at night to be vigilant and advising them that they should go immediately to the police and also have a toxicology test if they thought they had been drugged by a syringe prick. Over the course of the year, several hundred complaints were made in cities including Nantes, Grenoble and Toulouse.
Agence France-Presse reported that a 2022 police memo mentioned syringe marks were usually found on the arms, buttocks, or back, and most victims did not see who attacked them. During this weekend’s nationwide music festival, more than 370 people were arrested on various charges, including nearly 90 in Paris. Fourteen participants were seriously injured, including a 17-year-old who was hospitalised after being found on the street with stab wounds to the lower abdomen.
