Brits are caught up in terrifying night of violence as French music festival descends into stabbings and rapes with multiple women stabbed with syringes

Published: 12:30, 22 June 2026 | Updated: 12:31, 22 June 2026 More than 240 people were arrested, two people stabbed, and others raped, as France's biggest open air music festival descended into intense violence. The 40-year-old man and woman, who have not been named, were attacked in the early hours of Monday at the Fête de la Musique – a nationwide 'street party' attended by thousands of British people. Police also reported two alleged rapes, multiple other sexual assaults, muggings, and girls being stabbed with syringes, on a night of anarchy. It was in the south west city of Toulouse that a male victim was knifed, close to midnight, while the woman was knifed in nearby Colomiers soon afterwards. On Monday, both were in hospital and described as being 'in a stable condition'. An investigating source said: 'Camera footage of the Fête de la Musique is being studied to try and find those using knives to stab people.' There were also attacks on the streets of Paris, as thugs started fights in the centre of the city. Car windows were smashed, and attempts made to break into shops, while thefts were commonplace. More than 240 people were arrested, two people stabbed, and others raped, as France's biggest open air music festival descended into intense violence A 40-year-old man and woman, who have not been named, were attacked in the early hours of Monday at the Fête de la Musique There were some 148 arrests in Paris alone, according to an Interior Ministry spokesman, and '243 across France as a whole'. More than 10 incidents of women being attacked with syringes were reported, as unidentified substances were injected inside them. And a man was briefly detained for 'carrying syringes on his belt' in Paris, before running away. A young woman in the 9th arrondissement was stung and then raped by a man in a private residence around 9.30pm, said the Interior Ministry spokesman. In the northern suburb of Gagny, a 48-year-old man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. And in Nogent-sur-Marne, another Paris suburb, a 15-year-old girl also reported being raped after attending a concert. More than two million people attended the festival in Paris, where the first trouble started soon after 11pm, in the Châtelet area of the city, close to Notre Dame Cathedral. 'Streets became dangerously overcrowded, and trouble makers took advantage,' said a British witness, who asked to be referred to as Steve. More than two million people attended the festival in Paris, where the first trouble started soon after 11pm Alcohol was officially banned, but plenty of people were carrying their own bottles of wine, beer and spirits 'A group of young men – some in Paris St Germain football shirts – began punching people, causing chaos. 'People were screaming, and there was a real fear that the fighting would cause a massive crush as people tried to get away.' There was also trouble across the River Seine, in the St Germain de Prés district, where officers used tear gas to control crowds. It followed President Emmanuel Macron pleading for calm, after Paris St Germain (PSG) supporters went on the rampage through the city following their team's victory over Arsenal in the European Champions League Final last month. Mr Macron said: 'We are all going to be very vigilant, and you have to be vigilant yourselves – for yourselves, for your loved ones, for the most vulnerable. 'It is very important to follow all the recommendations, to celebrate and to be happy at this time, but to be so while being vigilant about the temperature.' There were tropical temperatures of 30C+ in Paris across the weekend, so increasing fears that there would be trouble at the festival. Alcohol was officially banned, but plenty of people were carrying their own bottles of wine, beer and spirits, while cannabis was being smoked openly. There were almost 5,000 police and gendarmes on the street last night  Last year, there were reports of women and girls being among those being pricked with syringes containing suspicious substances  The annual free music event sees mainly amateur artists performing on streets, squares and boulevards. It has been running for more than 40 years, and music fans from the UK are some of its most enthusiastic participants. Lamia El Aaraje, Paris's deputy mayor, had called for 'Europe's youth to come and party'. This was despite incidents of hooliganism and sexual assault in 2025. Ms El Aaraje said: 'Last year there was an impact on the public space, there were excesses, incidents, lots of sexual violence.' Last year, there were reports of women and girls being among those being pricked with syringes containing suspicious substances. This year, there were special cordoned-off safe spaces for women and disabled people in key locations, including near Bastille square. During the PSG celebrations last month, two fans died after drowning in the River Seine, and there was widespread rioting. This meant there were almost 5,000 police and gendarmes on the street last night, but they were told to hang back from crowds, and only intervene in incidents if 'absolutely necessary,' according to a senior Interior Ministry source. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.