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At the weekend, twelve suspects were arrested in France after at least 145 people had reported to have been peeled with syringes at a street music festival. This gave the country’s Ministry of the Interior.
Several arrests and first results
The incidents occurred as part of the nationwide celebration Fête de la Musique. At least 13 cases were reported in Paris alone. According to the ministry, it is still unclear whether it is so-called “needle spiking” cases in which attackers inject Ko-drops or other drugs to disorse victims. Or to make attackable.
According to CBS News, three people in Paris-including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old young man-reported discomfort after they had been peeled with injections. Four of the twelve arrested suspects come from the city of Angoulême. They are suspected of having attacked 50 of the victims.
“The ministry takes it very seriously,” a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry told CNN. “Toxicological tests are carried out. The investigation is underway.”
Feminists warn of targeted attacks on women
According to CNN and CBS, feminist influencers in France, including Abrège Soeur, also said that women claimed that women would specifically victims of syringe attacks. “These are extremely serious incidents,” said Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez to the French broadcaster Cnews. He described online calls to attack women as “completely idiotic”.
In total, more than 370 people were arrested at various charges during the big music festival at the weekend. Fourteen festival goers suffered serious injuries. It is unclear whether these are related to the syringe incidents.
Reports about similar syringe attacks were already circulating in the summer of 2022. According to “The Guardian”, the government published warnings and asked the population to go to the police immediately if suspected. Several of these alleged attacks also occurred during the Fête de la Musique in cities such as Nantes, Grenoble and Toulouse.