World Music Day Marred by Needle Spiking Incidents Scattered Across France; 145 Reported Victims

What was otherwise a celebratory celebration of Fête de la Musique—France's national World Music Day—turned sinister on Saturday night as a minimum of 145 victims, including teen girls, reported having been pricked by syringes at packed events throughout the nation.

Law enforcement officials were caught off guard as millions flooded city squares, parks, and streets to attend the national music festival. The Paris officials referred to the attendance as attracting "unprecedented crowds," France 24 stated. But festivities turned to pandemonium as reports of needle stabbings and attacks spread, many of which seemed to target women specifically.

On Sunday, the French Interior Ministry confirmed the alarming figure, noting 13 of the cases took place in Paris. Although toxicology results are still pending, the ministry stated that several victims were taken to hospitals for testing to ascertain if they were injected with incapacitating substances such as GHB or Rohypnol that lead to drug-facilitated sexual assault.

Social media was flooded with threats and warnings ahead of the event, some suggesting coordinated spiking attacks on women. The spike in reports has sparked new concerns about public safety at crowded events and the vulnerability of participants, most especially young women.

Paris prosecutors opened three individual investigations, after complaints were made by a 15-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man, and a third person—all of whom became ill after being pricked in various locations around the capital.

At the same time, 12 individuals have been detained across the country over the incidents. In the south-west city of Angoulême, four suspects were held who were suspected of spiking up to 50 victims in one of the most clustered spiking cases reported.

A total of more than 400 individuals were arrested for several offences under the cover of the night, while almost 90 were arrested in Paris itself. The authorities confirmed that 14 individuals were left seriously injured, with a 17-year-old being stabbed in the abdomen and sent to hospital in an immediate response.

The inquiries continue, with authorities calling on anyone who was affected to report. The events have placed a cloud over one of France's most venerated cultural festivals, and there are demands for improved crowd monitoring and public security.