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.
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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.
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.
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