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They came for music. Instead, 145 people were stabbed with syringes. Most of them were women.

It was meant to be a fun Saturday night. Drinking in the sun. Dancing in the street. Laughing with friends.

Each year, Fête de la Musique draws millions to the streets of France in June to celebrate live music.

This year was no different. Authorities reported "unprecedented crowds" in Paris.

But for over a hundred people, what should have been a day of celebration quickly turned into a nightmare.

French officials say 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during the country's annual street festival, according to French outlet Le Monde.

France's Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 13 of those incidents occurred in Paris. It's not clear if they were cases of needle-spiking with date-rape drugs such as GHB, which is often used to render victims vulnerable to sexual assault. But more than a dozen young women were hospitalised.

Authorities don't know if the attacks across the country were linked just yet. But they appear to have been calculated.

There were warning signs.

François Grosdidier, the mayor of Metz, a city in France's northeast, said a call for syringe attacks was made on social media.

Some of these reports called for targeting women during the festivities, according to Le Monde.

"At 9:15pm, we received a report of the first such attack on Rue du Palais. Around fifteen young girls (aged 14 to 20) were victims in Metz," Grosdidier said in a translated statement on social media.

The syringe attacker was swiftly found and arrested.

"I hope the investigation, particularly by examining his phone, will help identify other attackers," Grosdidier said.

Revellers in Paris attend Fête de la Musique. Revellers in Paris attend Fête de la Musique. Image: Getty.

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The Interior Ministry told Le Monde 12 people suspected of committing syringe attacks were arrested nationwide.

We can't know their motives just yet, but it's hard not to think about what these attacks say about the world we live in. A world where women don't feel safe to enjoy their weekends.

Where misogyny no longer hides in dark corners of the internet. Where "no" is not accepted as a full sentence.

According to reports, online posts encouraged the targeting of women. And in 2025, at a street festival meant for music, joy and connection, this is what women are facing.

Women should be safe at a festival.

Women should be safe to dance, to laugh, to live.

We should be able to lose ourselves in the moment — not spend the night looking over our shoulders, guarding our drinks, or wondering if a stranger's brush against our arm was something more sinister.

When will enough be enough?

Feature image: Getty.