More than 300 people in France say they have been stabbed in nightclubs or concerts in the past few months. Doctors and many prosecutors were involved in the case, but no one knew who or why it was being done and whether the victim had been given the drug or any other substance.
Club owners and police were trying to raise awareness, and the rapper stopped his latest show to warn concert goers of the danger of a sudden attack with a needle.
It’s not just France: the British government is analyzing the wave of “needle strikes” there, and police in Belgium and the Netherlands are also investigating the scattered cases.
On May 4, 18-year-old Thomas Lox attended a rap concert in Lille, northern France, where he smoked marijuana and drank alcohol during the show. When he got home, he told The Associated Press, he was dizzy and had a headache – and he noticed a strange sting of skin on his arm and bruises.
The next morning the symptoms did not go away and Loxi went to the doctor who advised her to go to the emergency room. Doctors confirmed the evidence of needle stroke, and Locke was tested for HIV and hepatitis. His results were negative, as were the other victims.
“I refused to go to concerts after it happened,” Lox said.
Hundreds of miles away, Lean Desnos recalled a similar experience after visiting a club in the southwestern city of Bordeaux in April. Desnos, who was also 18, died the next day and felt dizziness and heat while at a fast food restaurant. When he got home, he realized he had traces of an injection in his arm. After seeing testimony about a secret dispute on social media, she went to the clinic to get tested for infections. He is still waiting for the result.
People from Paris, Toulouse, Nantes, Nancy, Rennes and other cities in France say they were stabbed with a needle without their knowledge and without permission. Target individuals, mostly women, show visible traces of injection, are often bruised, and report symptoms such as fatigue.
The French National Police Agency claims that 302 people have filed a formal complaint for the sting of such a needle. Several police investigations are ongoing in various districts, however the suspect has not yet been apprehended, the needle has not yet been found and the motive is unclear.
None of the victims reported sexual assaults; One said he was robbed in Grenoble in April, Le Monde newspaper reported.
A National Police Agency official said two people tested positive for GHB and could have taken the drug in one drink. GHB, a powerful anesthetic used by predators trying to become victims of sexual assaults or assaults, can be found in urine within 12 hours, a police spokesman said.
An officer and a doctor with a key role in dealing with the phenomenon expressed suspicion that the scratches from the nightclub contained GHB and noted that the insertion of the needle required the drug to be injected within seconds. , which most victims will notice.
“We did not find any drug or substance or intentional evidence to show … the illegal or criminal intent to take the substance. “We are very afraid of people living with HIV, hepatitis or any other infectious disease,” said Dr Emmanuel Pushkarchik, head of the Nancy Poison Control Center in eastern France.
A special procedure has been set up at Nancy’s hospital to optimize victim care. Patients who show symptoms such as lethargy are treated, and blood and urine samples are maintained for five days if anyone wishes to be charged.
“Every case is different. We see a sign of injection, but some people have no symptoms. “When a potential victim has symptoms like discomfort or black holes (in their memory), they’re not certain,” Pushkarchik said.
One police officer, who had no right to be appointed under the order of the public police, said: “At this point we cannot state a particular modus operandi. There is no similarity between the cases. The only thing similar is that the needles are made in different parts of France in a festive context ”.
Club guests have expressed concern on social media, and media coverage has sparked outrage, with the French Interior Ministry launching a nationwide awareness campaign this month. Police are distributing brochures to clubs and discussing prevention measures with club owners.
In the UK, Parliament released a report on spilled drinks and needles in bars and nightclubs in April, following a sudden increase in such incidents last year. He said police reported approximately 1,000 cases of needle injections nationwide in October 2021, when a large percentage of students returned to campuses after reducing fees. covariant restriction.
However, a parliamentary report says there is a lack of data to determine the seriousness of the matter. It is not clear if anyone was punished for hitting the needle or how many victims were given drugs or other substances.
“No one knows how often drops, drinks, drugs or needles, and no one knows what motivates the abuser to do so.” Anecdotal evidence suggests that this practice is widespread and dangerous, “he said. said the statement.
Several similar incidents have been reported in nearby Belgium involving people stuck with needles in nightclubs, a football match and a Belgian pride parade. Last month, Brussels prosecutors launched two investigations into complaints by women who said they were injured in a parade of pride in central Brussels. Protest organizers said they were informed of several cases and invited potential victims to undergo screening at hospitals.
Back in France as investigations continue without conviction, rapper Dinos cut off a concert in Strasbourg this week to warn his fans of the dangers and insisted: “He must stop.”
Source: Huffpost
