'France is failing!' Fury as 14-year-old yob 'terrorises' Paris with campaign of abuse and petty crime

Fury has erupted in France as a 14-year-old yob has gone viral on social media for "terrorising" the streets of Paris with a campaign of abuse and petty crime.

Hamza, whose parents hail from Algeria, has sparked outrage over his delinquent money-making scheme near the Canal Saint-Martin in eastern Paris.

The teenager demands a €2 (£1.70) penalty from passers-by who wish to avoid being drenched by his water gun.

His approach has earned him the nickname "Hamza La Douane" - Hamza the Customs Officer.

"In Algeria, when you pay the customs officers, they don't search you. You can go on," he explained to Le Parisien.

Footage circulating online depicts the youth spraying cyclists, motorists and even police officers near the canal, which has drawn swimmers following a heatwave last month.

"He leaves me alone because he knows I'm not doing anything bad. All I do is water people and the police from time to time," Hamza told CNews.

His father, who lives separately from the boy's mother, defended his son to Le Parisien, saying that Hamza was "a nice boy he doesn't hurt anyone".

However, other recordings show more troubling behaviour.

The teenager has posted videos of himself shoving sunbathing women into waterways, hurling furniture from bridges and racing through Parisian streets on a scooter while vaping.

Certain observers have likened him to Gavroche, the endearing ragamuffin who defies authority in Victor Hugo's celebrated 1862 work Les Miserables.

The left-wing publication Liberation argued that Hamza was simply a "kid who needs protection" from right-wing criticism.

Others take a starkly different view, seeing him as representative of rampant youth crime in a nation still reeling from riots where minors were blamed for much of the looting.

Commentators have branded him a "symptom of a failing country" whilst social media users have labelled him a "hoodlum".

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A local restaurateur whose outdoor seating area was targeted complained that the boy was "bothering everyone".

National Rally politician Julien Odoul shared footage showing Hamza appearing to shout vulgar abuse at a woman in her home.

"Leftists talk about a nice boy who only does water fights at the Canal Saint-Martin. How long are we going to tolerate the actions of this scum?" Mr Odoul wrote.

According to CNews, Hamza has been arrested as many as 10 times since June 2025.

Le Figaro reported that he was last cuffed on Wednesday on suspicion of mobile phone theft - allegedly his second such arrest.

In late June, authorities detained the youngster on suspicion of group violence and vandalism.

Le Figaro opinion editor Alexandre Devecchio wrote: "In a normal country where adults still had the right to exercise their authority, Hamza would quickly be put back on the straight and narrow.

"But in France in the 21st century, in the absence of any limits being shown to him, he risks ending up in prison."

The boy's mother has dismissed criticism as "racist".

Hamza himself told CNews: "People say I'm a thug. Most people are just racist."

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