Marseille arrests 15-year-old after woman burned with flaming spray
French police arrested a 15-year-old boy after a passer-by was burned in the face with a flaming spray during student protests in Marseille on Thursday.
French prosecutors said a 15-year-old boy was arrested and placed in police custody on Friday evening over an attack in which a woman was burned in the face with a flaming spray during student protests in Marseille. The assault happened on Thursday in Place du 4-Septembre, an affluent square near a school, not far from the city's seafront, the Marseille public prosecutor's office said.
Footage that circulated on social media showed the woman stepping in as a group tried to damage a bus shelter, prosecutors said. A person with their face covered then used a spray and a lighter to send a jet of flame toward the woman's face, leaving her with burns, according to a source close to the case. She has filed a complaint with police.
The teenager, previously unknown to police or the courts, was identified through CCTV footage and fieldwork by investigators, a police source said. He was arrested in the Frais-Vallon neighbourhood, in Marseille's 13th arrondissement, several kilometres from the square where the attack took place, according to regional newspaper La Provence.
He is under investigation for intentional violence causing up to eight days' inability to work, with three aggravating factors: use of a weapon, acting with others and concealing his face, prosecutors said.
The office of the deputy police prefect said no cause, "whether linked to the student protests, social or agricultural grievances, declared or not," could justify such violence.
What we know
- A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Friday evening over an attack on a woman with a flaming spray in Marseille, prosecutors said.
- The attack happened on Thursday near a school, on the edge of nationwide student protests.
- The victim suffered facial burns and has filed a complaint, a source close to the case said.
- More than 5,000 arrests have been linked to the student protests nationwide since Monday, according to Sud Ouest.
Why it matters for Europe
The attack took place on the edge of a nationwide wave of high-school protests that began in the Paris region on 17 September and has spread across France, with blockades of schools and clashes with police in several cities. The government has condemned what it called urban violence, and more than 5,000 arrests have been linked to the protests nationwide since Monday, according to Sud Ouest.
Amnesty International has said police have used disproportionate force against the student demonstrations and has called for a suspension of the use of French "LBD" rubber-bullet launchers, pointing to the scale of the policing response to a protest movement that started three weeks ago as a dispute over education policy before spreading to dozens of French towns and cities.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 3 countries.
- Nice-Matin: Un mineur interpellé et placé en garde à vue après l’agression d’une femme avec un spry inflammable à Marseille
- Sud Ouest: Marseille : un mineur de 15 ans interpellé après l’agression d’une femme brûlée au visage avec un spray enflammé
- 24 heures: Marseille: un mineur interpellé après une agression au spray enflammé
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What happened in Marseille?
- A 15-year-old boy was arrested after a woman was burned in the face with a flaming spray during student protests on Thursday, prosecutors said.
- Was anyone else hurt?
- No other injuries were reported; the woman who was burned has filed a complaint.
- Is this linked to wider unrest in France?
- The attack took place on the edge of a nationwide student protest movement that has led to more than 5,000 arrests since Monday, according to Sud Ouest.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.