Authorities in France said dozens of people reported being jabbed with syringes during France’s Fête de la Musique. Twelve people were arrested in connection to the stabbings.
What was meant to be a nationwide celebration of music turned into a night of confusion and fear for festivalgoers across France. During Fête de la Musique — a popular annual event that draws millions out to the streets — more than 140 people, primarily young women, were picked with syringes in what police are now calling a coordinated wave of attacks.
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HEREIt wasn't clear if all the victims were injected with anything, but the French Interior Ministry said some victims were taken to the hospital for toxicology tests.
In La Rochelle, at least 14 girls between the ages of 14 and 20 were hospitalized after reporting unexplained injuries and symptoms while attending concerts and street performances.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox with our News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP The French outlet, Le Républicain Lorrain, reported paramedics respond to calls from several crowded locations around 9 p.m., including Rue du Palais and Place de la République, where victims describe feeling faint or noticing sudden pain before discovering puncture wounds on their bodies.
Police were able to arrest one man in connection with the La Rochelle incidents after a victim identified him to officers on the scene. He was transferred to the national police for questioning. No syringes were recovered, and authorities are currently reviewing his phone for possible connections to others involved.
La Rochelle was not alone. According to France's Interior Ministry, at least 145 individuals — the majority of them girls and women — were reportedly jabbed with needles at Fête de la Musique events in multiple cities.
U.S. & World
Investigators are now exploring whether these incidents were inspired by troubling posts circulating online encouraging men to “target women with syringes” during the holiday.
NBC News reports that warnings about the attacks first appeared on TikTok. Social media influencer Abrège Soeur warned in a post on Saturday that "Men are planning to attack and sting women at the Fête de la Musique on June 21st."
So far, toxicology reports have not confirmed the presence of any drugs, though officials are conducting further screenings. The concern remains that some of the syringes may have been used to administer incapacitating substances like GHB or Rohypnol — commonly associated with drug-facilitated assault.
The growing fear surrounding so-called "needle spiking" has been a point of concern in France after a wave of reports of syringe attacks in 2022. However, the rarity of confirmed toxicology findings has left health professionals and law enforcement divided over the true extent of the issue. Regardless, the fear it generates—and the disruption it causes—is real and escalating.
Festival organizers and police are facing mounting pressure to increase safety measures at future events, including more thorough bag checks, medical tents, and real-time monitoring of social media for threats.
As France processes the events of this year's Fête de la Musique, one message is clear: public spaces once considered safe for celebration must now reckon with a new kind of threat — one that is silent, deliberate, and deeply unsettling.
