France Is No Longer France
by Tyler Durden
French authorities detained 12 suspects after 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during Fête de la Musique — France’s annual World Music Day celebration. For perspective on how dramatically the festival has changed in three decades, compare the atmosphere of the 1994 event to the chaos seen this past weekend.
Millions flooded the streets across France on Saturday to celebrate the universal language of music through open-air concerts, pop-up performances, community orchestras, DJ sets, and more. While footage earlier in the day showed an orderly atmosphere, the night quickly descended into unrest.
State-owned international news television France 24 provided more color on the stabbings:
Before the party, posts on Snapchat and other social media had called for targeting women during the festivities.
The interior ministry said 145 victims reported being stabbed with needles across the country, with Paris police reporting 13 cases in the capital.
Officials did not specify if they 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 three different locations in Paris, prosecutors said.