this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2025
435 points (97.6% liked)

World News

47777 readers
3361 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

French police have detained 12 suspects after 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during the country's annual street music festival, officials said Sunday.

Millions of people took to the streets across France on Saturday evening for the Fete de la Musique, with authorities reporting "unprecedented crowds" in Paris.

Before the party, posts on social media had called for women to be targeted during the festivities.

(page 2) 42 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 51 points 1 day ago (5 children)

called for women to be targeted during the festivities

Do we know more? Was this supposed to just scare them or did they actually get injected with something?

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 32 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Officials did not say if these were cases of so-called needle spiking with date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB

Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicological tests

investigations were opened after three people... reported feeling unwell.

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

after three people... reported feeling unwell.

Well that's fair enough at any rate. So maybe at least this didn't get anyone seriously injured.

[–] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Article said cops were injured but didn't give details.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] HuskerNation@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

10-15 years ago it was definitely a thing. I remember posts about it on reddit, back when reddit was good. Eventually after it blew up a lot of bars started doing the angel drinks or messages in the bathroom. Bunch of women were targeted

[–] bytesonbike@discuss.online 14 points 1 day ago

Yep. In the 2000s, my town had a serious scare. I lived in a small town at the time near a major music fest, and the town handed out flyers about watching yourself because we had a bunch of roofie incidents.

One festival mocked our town for it and called us assholes/cops. Because that festival were like pro date-rape or some shit? Festival doesn't exist anymore.

But I'll never forget how many naive tourist girls who would get the flyer, laugh, and go, "Why would anyone do this haha!" And don't take this stuff seriously.

I feel like social media has been a huge help at identifying shit behavior.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] dinren@discuss.online 51 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Jesus Fucking Christ, Paris

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 21 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This could literally have happened anywhere

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It was happening on the NYC subway some years back, people were poking people with syringes contaminated with HIV

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (4 children)

This is a panic that has come and gone multiple times even just during my lifetime. I remember the first time I heard about it was visitors to neighboring Tijuana with HIV infected blood on the 80s. Never once has it actually been confirmed to have happened.

These are 145 self reports. Nothing confirmed. No video evidence.

Plenty of resources available for this panic.

[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 25 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

This is a real phenomenon, first widely reported in 2022. Due to some reason, it has resurged.

Arrests in France after scores report being attacked with syringes at street music festival

Millions of people took to the streets across France on Saturday evening for the Fête de la Musique, with authorities reporting “unprecedented crowds” in Paris. The feminist influencer Abrège Soeur warned online before the festival that calls had been made on social media for women to be targeted with syringes. It was not certain where such posts would have been made or by whom.

The interior ministry said 145 victims across the country had reported being stabbed with needles during outdoor music events across the country. Paris police reported 13 cases in the capital. Officials did not say if these were cases of so-called needle spiking with date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, used by attackers to render victims confused or unconscious and vulnerable to sexual assault. “Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicological tests,” the ministry said.

In Paris, investigations were opened after three people, including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male, reported being stabbed in separate incidents across Paris, prosecutors said. All three reported feeling unwell. Across France, 12 suspects have been arrested, the interior ministry said. Among them were four people in the south-western city of Angoulême suspected of having targeted about 50 victims, a police source said.

/.../ There was a wave of reports in 2022 about alleged syringe attacks against women and men in clubs, bars, music events and even theatres. The government put out messages at the time for people going out at night to be vigilant and advising them that they should go immediately to the police and also have a toxicology test if they thought they had been drugged by a syringe prick.

Since another person linked to a story about this on Twitter, of all things, I did some background checking. Does not look like a "panic", but a new genre of crime.

The mayor of the city of Metz, identifiable, writes on social media (Instagram) confirming the occurrence. Confirming that arrests have been made. Other sources (among them old media outlets like the Guardian, see above link) report about it.

Incitement allegedly occurred over social media. It will be investigated where it occurred. Victims have been sent to toxicology. It will be investigated what was injected, if anything. Some victims reported feeling unwell.

Guess: in a crowd, it is relatively easy to anonymously attack someone and hope to leave little evidence. However, this time, it has been claimed that some assailants were detained on the spot. There will be information confirming or denying this pretty soon.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Rachelhazideas@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Of course the 145 police reports don't count. This is 145 women were talking about.

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

During the 80s example I gave it was men that were reporting it.

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Anyone can file a police report. And if they believe they were a victim then they are more likely to do that.

[–] Honytawk@feddit.nl -1 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

So they just imagined it, is that what you are saying?

And this info is based upon what exactly?

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 3 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Did you read the link I included in my previous comment?

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] sfjvvssss@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago (14 children)

Wait, are you trying to tell us that this is not true because there is no video evidence? Just hundreds of women being in panic? Wtf

load more comments (14 replies)
[–] Wanderer@lemm.ee 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Last time I heard about this it was all over Facebook and shit.

Then the government, police and drs came out and said there was no evidence and when you think about it it doesn't make any sense.

Honestly how many women have you seen smash way way too many drinks and claim they got spiked. No you weigh fuck all, you were smashing drinks, thats why you can't stand. We've all drank too much.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

The people planning this and walking around doing the pricking...

There's a classic death metal song by Cannibal Corpse called "Hammer Smashed Face".

And that 145 is just those who noticed. I regularly have to self administer injections and they're often nearly painless once you're used to doing it, especially with small gauge needles.

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›