145 French people reported being jabbed with a needle during the annual music festival Fête de la Musique on Saturday. Twelve people have been arrested. Calls to prick women with needles had been circulating on social media beforehand.
In so-called needle spiking, a substance is sometimes injected that numbs the victim. It is not known what the victims were injected with on Saturday. According to the police, the injections in France were not dangerous.
Many reports came from Angoulême in southwestern France. About fifty people were stabbed there. Four suspects have been arrested there.
In Paris, thirteen reports of needle spiking were made. Three people became unwell after the prick. Some victims have been taken to hospital for toxicological examination.
Apart from the needle spiking, Fête de la Musique was restless. In the Parisian district of Les Halles, the police spoke of “a hostile public” that tried to loot shops. More than 370 people have been arrested across the country and thirteen officers have been injured.
Fête de la Musique is a large national festival in which everyone who can play an instrument is encouraged to do so in public places and parks.