Crack-addicted rapists bring hell to the Paris region, where the Olympics will be held this summer: horrific knife-point sex attack is the latest incident in a neighborhood where ‘assaults and rapes are part of everyday life’
A knife sex attack a short distance from the site of this summer’s Paris Olympics is the latest in a series of horrific attacks in an area where locals say they fear for their safety every day.
Two women have been attacked and threatened with rape on Place Auguste Baron in the northeast of the French capital in the past two days, according to reports French media. In both cases, the suspects are said to have been crack addicts.
Last night, a woman walking home in the neighborhood was attacked by a man who she said had been following her for 500 meters, Le Parisien reports.
The attacker, armed with a knife, began insulting and threatening to kill the woman before allegedly jumping on her when they reached a dimly lit, hidden area.
He attempted to force his victim to perform oral sex on him before attempting to remove her pants, at which point the woman reportedly shouted “help, he’s going to rape me!”
French riot mobile gendarmes stand next to the Forceval garden square during the dismantling of a camp for crack addicts, northeast of Paris in 2022
Place Auguste Baron is less than a 10-minute drive from the Stade de France and Center Aquatique
She escaped the attack and the suspect, said to be a crack user, was caught and arrested by police.
A local said La Parisien that addicts are present everywhere on Place Auguste Baron, and said that for all residents, “sexual assaults and even rapes” are a fact of daily life.
On Monday in the same area, a woman who had just dropped her children off at school was walking with a neighbor when she was attacked by a man who threatened to rape her.
Municipal police officers, who were conducting surveillance near the school, are said to have intervened.
Place Auguste Baron is less than a 10-minute drive from the Stade de France, where the athletics events take place, and the Center Aquatique, where much of the swimming takes place.
For years, drug trafficking plagued Paris, with encampments in parks and underpasses.
In 2022, hundreds of police officers took part in an operation to dismantle a huge camp in Forceval Square on Place Auguste Baron.
The popular park is said to have been a temporary home for about 150 crack users, who lived in tents and makeshift shelters.
In 2022, hundreds of police officers took part in an operation to dismantle a huge camp in Forceval Square on Place August Baron
Police made 385 arrests in connection with the raid, with many detained in connection with drug trafficking crimes.
French authorities have been accused of ‘social cleansing’ ahead of this summer’s Olympics, with aid groups claiming the clearing of encampments is part of a campaign to beautify the French capital.
In an operation that began before dawn last week, police woke up about 100 teenage boys and young men from West Africa and ordered them to pack up their tents and belongings.
French authorities have been accused of ‘social cleansing’ ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games
Paris police said the operation was carried out for security reasons, particularly because the camp was located near schools.
As part of their preparations for the Games, Paris authorities have been desperately trying to clean up the Seine, which environmentalists say is too dirty to host the opening ceremony as planned.
Many of the Olympic events are held in Seine-Saint-Denis, an area of Paris with the highest percentage of immigrants among the French departments and also the poorest.
About 45,000 police officers will be on duty during the sixteen days of the competition, which is expected to bring together thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of spectators.
The opening ceremony will take place on July 26 and the competition will run until August 11. This will be followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.
As part of their preparations for the Games, Parisian authorities have been desperately trying to clear the River Seine
A further 2,500 foreign police will assist French police for the duration of the match, with a separate team of British police also present.
Paris was the target of coordinated terrorist attacks by Islamic State militants in 2015, killing 130 and injuring 350.
France raised its security alert to the highest level in October after a teacher was stabbed to death in a knife attack.
The opening ceremony will take place on July 26 and the competition will run until August 11. This will be followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.