What France’s syringe attacks say about fear, femininity, and freedom

‘I hope the investigation, particularly by examining [the attacker’s] phone, will help identify others,’ Grosdidier said.

While the motives of the attackers remain unknown at this stage, it’s hard to fathom how such a widespread attack could have happened in a context where young women were simply trying to have fun.

We’re taught to associate dark, empty public spaces with danger – not open-air festivals packed with crowds.

“Fête de la Terreur”: Syringe Attacks and Riots Shake Paris

Chaos erupted during France’s annual Fête de la Musique celebration:

145 teenage girls were attacked with syringes
Hundreds injured overall — 14 seriously
371 people arrested
51 vehicles set on fire

The… pic.twitter.com/qiHjT6VaLO

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 24, 2025

There’s a temptation, especially in news coverage, to frame these incidents as random acts of deviance. But randomness is rarely gendered. The victims of these pricks are overwhelmingly female. Many are teenagers.

Whether or not every syringe contained drugs is almost beside the point. The power of these attacks lies in their ambiguity. This uncertainty is itself a form of violence – psychological, strategic, and profoundly violating. It places the burden on the victim to prove they were harmed, while the perpetrator melts into the crowd.

France has long struggled with its own contradictions around gender. It sees itself as progressive, yet continues to treat issues of sexual violence and public harassment with a dismissiveness that borders on negligence. In 2022, hundreds of similar syringe cases were reported across the country. Most led nowhere.

This is not just a French problem. Similar cases have been reported across Europe – in the UK, Spain, and Belgium. Women are learning to self-diagnose, to request blood work, to go to events with contingency plans.

There’s also a growing online ecosystem of care, with women sharing information and warning one another ahead of events. It is a testament to resilience, but also a damning indictment of the systems meant to protect us. Women should not have to become their own emergency responders every time they leave the house.

To truly respond to this moment, governments must do more than investigate. They must acknowledge the structural patterns of gendered violence and treat this not as a one-off, but as a national emergency.