A sexual attack at knifepoint just a short distance from where the Paris Olympics will be held this summer is the latest in a series of horrific attacks in an area where locals say they fear for their safety on a daily basis.
In Auguste Baron Square, in the northeast of the French capital, two women were attacked and threatened with rape in the last two days, according to reports french media. The suspects in each case were said to be crack addicts.
Last night, a woman walking home in the neighborhood was attacked by a man who she claimed had been following her for 500 meters, Le Parisien reports.
The attacker, armed with a knife, began swearing and threatening to kill the woman, before allegedly jumping on her when they reached a hidden, dimly lit 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 screamed “help, he’s going to rape me!”
French mobile riot 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 the Center Aquatique
She escaped the attack and the suspect, said to be a crack user, was captured and arrested by police.
A local said The Parisian that addicts are present throughout Auguste Baron Square, and stated that for all residents, “assaults and even rapes” are a daily occurrence.
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 guarding near the school, apparently intervened.
Place Auguste Baron is less than a 10-minute drive from the Stade de France, which hosts athletics events, and the Center Aquatique, which hosts much of the swimming.
For years, drug trafficking has been a scourge in Paris, with camps set up in parks and under underpasses.
In 2022, hundreds of police officers took part in an operation to dismantle a huge encampment in Place Forceval on Place Auguste Baron.
The popular park is said to have been the temporary home of 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 encampment in Forceval Square on August Baron Square.
Police made 385 arrests in connection with the raid, many of them in connection with drug trafficking offences.
French authorities have been accused of “social cleansing” ahead of this summer’s Olympics, with aid groups alleging that the cleanup of the camps is part of a campaign to beautify the French capital.
In an operation that began before dawn last week, police woke up about 100 West African teenagers and young men and told them to pack 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 field was close to 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 that has the highest proportion of immigrants among France’s departments and also the poorest.
Some 45,000 police officers will be on duty during the 16 days of competition that are expected to draw 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, Paris authorities have been desperately trying to clean up the Seine River.
A further 2,500 foreign officers will also assist French police during the competition, along with an independent British police team.
Paris was the target of coordinated terrorist attacks by Islamic State militants in 2015, which left 130 dead and 350 injured.
France raised its security alert to its 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.