Ten girls hospitalised after 'being pricked by man with syringe' at festival
Police have launched an investigation after around 10 girls were reportedly attacked by a 'syringe-wielding man' at a music festival attended by 50,000 people in Metz, France
Ten girls were rushed to hospital after they were allegedly being pricked by a man with a syringe while at a music festival in France. It's thought more than 50,000 people were in attendance at the event in Metz as thousands of people celebrated World Music Day on Saturday evening. According to Le Républicain Lorrain, around 10 young girls were "victims of syringe injections" during the Fête de la Musique.
The girls, who were all said to be minors, were targeted by one or more people at around 10pm, according to the local outlet. Firefighters were reported to have taken the girls into care and they were rushed to hospital for tests, François Grosdidier, the mayor of Metz, confirmed.
The mayor added: "It's Saturday night and it's still hot… There are a lot of people, people everywhere, in all the city centre streets." Mr Grosdidier estimated that there were around 50,000 people at the festival.
The alleged attacks happened between two popular spots in Metz's city centre, Place de la République and Place Saint-Jacques. One man has been in arrested in connection with the attacks. He was taken to a local police station and questioned by cops.
No update has been provided on the girls' conditions. Police remained in Metz throughout the remainder of the event with pictures taken at the scene showing Mr Grosdidier speaking to officers.
It comes after a French teaching assistant was allegedly stabbed to death by a pupil earlier this month. Named only as Melanie G, the single mum died on June 10 and had only started work as a teacher at the Françoise Dolto secondary school, in Nogent-sur-Marne, in the eastern Paris suburbs, last year.
The mum suffered multiple stab wounds to her body during a 'senseless' attack minutes before classes began. It is alleged the teaching assistant was searching children's bags for knives, in line with national education policy, when she was fatally attacked.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the killing and was later charged with "murder of a person in a position of authority". As a minor, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment.
In April, a knife attack at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides private school in the Doulon area of Nantes, France caused the death of one teenager and left three others injured.
The 15-year-old attacker was reportedly stopped attacking additional students by teachers, who bravely overpowered the armed boy.
French prime minister, François Bayrou, called for a crackdown on teenage knife crime following the attack. 'This tragedy shows once again the endemic violence that exists in a part of our youth,' Bayrou said in a statement.
'Fundamental questions must be asked in terms of education, values and respect for human life.'
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6 hours ago
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Seventeen young girls 'injected with syringes' at popular music festival
Seventeen young girls have been injected or stabbed with a 'syringe' at a popular music festival in France. The concertgoers reported being injected during the Fête de la Musique music festival in Metz, eastern France on Saturday. The attacks appear to have followed calls on social media for women to be injected with syringes. Similar incidents have been reported in other French citites. Two people were arrested by police in Metz following the stabbings but the city's mayor said one is not believed to be linked to the alleged crimes, according to La Republicain Lorrain. The 'syringe assaults' were reported as the Fête de la Musique in Metz, which attracted up to 50,000 people, was in full swing. Fête de la Musique, or 'World Music Day', is celebrated across France on June 21, with a variety of performances, stalls and events. The girls injected at the event in Metz were mainly minors and aged between 14 and 20, Mayor François Grosdidier said on social media. Ten incidents were first reported around 10pm and took place between two of the city's famous spots Place de la République and Place Saint-Jacques, as well in the city centre. The number of victims rose to 17 and a medical triage was set up by firefights at Place d'Armes. All 17 girls were taken to Mercy Hospital for testing after seven ambulances were sent to the festival. A man was arrested at the scene after being reportedly identified by one of his victims. No sharp or pointed object are yet to be found by police, who reportedly also arrested a singer for allegedly slapping a young girl. Mayor Grosdidier said on Facebook that the attacks follow calls on social media for women to be injected by syringes at music festivals in France. He said: 'On social media, a call was made to carry out syringe attacks during the Music Festivals in major cities. This happened in two other cities in Moselle and across France. 'In total, 17 young girls (aged 14 to 20) were victims in Metz. I offer them all my sympathy and support. 'A description of a syringe attacker was shared with the Urban Supervision Center (CSU) to help locate him on video footage, as well as with the municipal and national police. 'Municipal police officers identified him on Rue Serpenoise, arrested him, and handed him over to the National Police and judicial authorities. 'I hope the investigation – especially examining his mobile phone – will help identify other attackers.' These attacks are believed to have taken place in other cities, including Thionville, Sarreguemines, and Nancy. One father spoke of his daughter's fear of being injected after coming across posts about it online. More Trending The unnamed dad told La Republicain Lorrain: 'I wanted to take my wife and children to the Fête de la Musique in Metz. My 13-year-old daughter told me she didn't want to go because of the messages she saw on TikTok. So we stayed home…' Metro has seen a number of videos on TikTok, warning festival goers about the risks of injections and telling them to call the police if they fear they have fallen victim. They warn the injections could cause dizziness, and urge revellers to look out for suspicious people in the crowds. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: I blamed myself even after he sent me to A&E 11 times in 5 months MORE: Bride among two killed after gunmen open fire at wedding reception in France MORE: Leicester man jailed after raping woman while on bail for another charge
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Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
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Ten girls hospitalised after 'being pricked by man with syringe' at festival
Police have launched an investigation after around 10 girls were reportedly attacked by a 'syringe-wielding man' at a music festival attended by 50,000 people in Metz, France Ten girls were rushed to hospital after they were allegedly being pricked by a man with a syringe while at a music festival in France. It's thought more than 50,000 people were in attendance at the event in Metz as thousands of people celebrated World Music Day on Saturday evening. According to Le Républicain Lorrain, around 10 young girls were "victims of syringe injections" during the Fête de la Musique. The girls, who were all said to be minors, were targeted by one or more people at around 10pm, according to the local outlet. Firefighters were reported to have taken the girls into care and they were rushed to hospital for tests, François Grosdidier, the mayor of Metz, confirmed. The mayor added: "It's Saturday night and it's still hot… There are a lot of people, people everywhere, in all the city centre streets." Mr Grosdidier estimated that there were around 50,000 people at the festival. The alleged attacks happened between two popular spots in Metz's city centre, Place de la République and Place Saint-Jacques. One man has been in arrested in connection with the attacks. He was taken to a local police station and questioned by cops. No update has been provided on the girls' conditions. Police remained in Metz throughout the remainder of the event with pictures taken at the scene showing Mr Grosdidier speaking to officers. It comes after a French teaching assistant was allegedly stabbed to death by a pupil earlier this month. Named only as Melanie G, the single mum died on June 10 and had only started work as a teacher at the Françoise Dolto secondary school, in Nogent-sur-Marne, in the eastern Paris suburbs, last year. The mum suffered multiple stab wounds to her body during a 'senseless' attack minutes before classes began. It is alleged the teaching assistant was searching children's bags for knives, in line with national education policy, when she was fatally attacked. A 14-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the killing and was later charged with "murder of a person in a position of authority". As a minor, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment. In April, a knife attack at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides private school in the Doulon area of Nantes, France caused the death of one teenager and left three others injured. The 15-year-old attacker was reportedly stopped attacking additional students by teachers, who bravely overpowered the armed boy. French prime minister, François Bayrou, called for a crackdown on teenage knife crime following the attack. 'This tragedy shows once again the endemic violence that exists in a part of our youth,' Bayrou said in a statement. 'Fundamental questions must be asked in terms of education, values and respect for human life.'
