Chilling Needle Spree Stuns France

At France’s biggest street music festival, 145 people — most of them women and teenage girls — reported being stabbed with syringes by strangers in the crowd, and at least one woman says she was raped after being pricked.

Story Highlights

145 people reported syringe attacks at France’s annual Fête de la Musique festival, with victims as young as 14
At least 14 suspects were arrested; four in one city were linked to roughly 50 victims
Social media posts called for women to be targeted before the festival even began
Toxicology tests are still underway — authorities have not yet confirmed what, if anything, was injected

Women and Girls Targeted Across France

France’s annual Fête de la Musique — a nationwide street music celebration — turned dangerous on June 21, 2025. Police confirmed 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during the event. Most victims were women. Some were teenage girls as young as 14. Victims reported symptoms including dizziness, hot flushes, and loss of consciousness. Some were taken to hospitals. Thirteen incidents were reported in Paris alone, with more spread across the country.

In the city of Angoulême, four suspects were arrested and linked to roughly 50 victims. Two more men were arrested in Metz — one was identified by a victim, and one was caught carrying a syringe. By the time French police posted an update on social media, 14 suspects total had been taken into custody. In Paris, a woman reported being pricked with a syringe before being sexually assaulted in the city’s 9th district. A man seen carrying syringes on his belt was briefly detained but fled before police could hold him.

Online Calls to Target Women Preceded the Attacks

Before the festival, social media posts circulated calling for women to be attacked with syringes during the event. Metz Mayor François Grosdidier publicly flagged these posts as evidence of a coordinated threat. Police have not yet confirmed who posted the messages or whether a formal plan was organized. Still, the fact that calls to target women appeared online before the attacks — and then attacks happened — is hard to dismiss as coincidence.

French police are now warning people attending future public events to stay alert and seek help right away if they feel any sudden symptoms. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing. A spokesperson for France’s interior minister confirmed toxicology tests are underway but results have not yet been released. It remains unclear whether the syringes contained drugs like Rohypnol or GHB, which are sometimes used to incapacitate victims before an assault.

A Recurring Problem French Authorities Cannot Ignore

This is not the first time France has seen a wave of syringe attacks at public events. In 2022, over 1,000 complaints were filed across the country after similar reports surfaced at festivals and clubs. At the time, France’s Minister of Culture dismissed the claims as a “psychotic phenomenon.” Toxicology tests from that wave came back negative. Some critics are raising the same doubts now, suggesting mass hysteria may explain some reports.

Even if some reports turn out to be false alarms, the core facts here are serious. Fourteen people were arrested. One suspect was identified on video and handed to police by a victim. A woman filed a rape complaint tied directly to a syringe attack. Those are not rumors — those are police actions and criminal complaints. French authorities owe the public full toxicology results and a clear accounting of what happened to 145 people in a single night. Women and girls deserve better than to be hunted at a street festival while officials wait to see if the evidence is “strong enough” to call it a real threat.