The reports of thousands of young people across half of Europe seem to be written in a script: first the sensation of being pricked by a needle, then the dizziness and that red mark on the arm and hand that attests to the sting. It is called "needle spiking", and it is a phenomenon that has been repeated for months now , starting in England but spreading especially in Belgium and now also in France. The fear is that a stranger could inject a drug, a poison, a toxic substance into the crowd . Yesterday, in Toulon, there was the first arrest.
This is a twenty-year-old boy who was sent to trial for "aggravated violence by possession of a weapon (syringe) and premeditation" . Now, writes the Messaggero, "he is in provisional detention". This time, the suspected serial injector did not manage to disappear into the darkness, but was identified by several people present at the scene of the crime: the beach of Mourillon. About twenty people ran to ask for help from the officers present to complain of "pricks". Among the victims, there was also a policewoman, who was hospitalized.
But it is not the only case in France. Over the weekend alone, there were about ten reports of wild injections, including four boys and three girls who filed a complaint with the gendarmerie in Auch. They were all taking part in the traditional Pentecôtavic feria, and they all felt the prick of a needle, followed by a clear mark on their arms. "We have opened an investigation," confirmed Auch prosecutor Jacques-Edouard Andrault.
What is needle spiking? It is a phenomenon first reported (in 2021) in the UK and Ireland where people, usually young women, have reported being given clandestine injections of unidentified sedatives, usually in a crowded environment such as a nightclub dance floor or concert. After being injected with needles, people have reported symptoms such as dizziness or nausea, and a light-hearted confusion. Although, at this time, there have been no verified toxicology results published to prove the presence of known incapacitating agents in the alleged victims.
In French prosecutors' offices, from Toulouse to Grenoble, files have been opened on the "administration of harmful substances". But toxicological tests ordered to date have not detected the presence of any substance. It is likely that the analyses were done too late to detect anything, so much so that the British parliament refuses to dismiss the matter as an urban legend and a month and a half ago published a report urging the Home Office to "inform and raise awareness" of the risks of needle spiking, given that "it is impossible to judge precisely to what extent poisoning by injection is widespread and dangerous".
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