Police arrest 15-year-old after aerosol flame attack on woman in Marseille
Marseille prosecutors placed a 15-year-old in custody following an aerosol flame attack on a woman trying to stop vandalism during high school protests at Place du 4-Septembre.
Attack at Place du 4-Septembre
A female passerby was attacked on Thursday, 1 October 2026, near a bus shelter at Place du 4-Septembre in the 7th arrondissement of Marseille. The incident occurred during protests organized around local high schools, where groups gathered near school grounds. Video footage shared on social media showed the woman attempting to intervene peacefully and move a barrier while a group attempted to vandalize street furniture and smash the bus shelter. An individual dressed in black with a concealed face ignited an aerosol spray with a lighter, projecting a flame directly into her face. The victim suffered first-degree burns and filed a formal criminal complaint with police on the morning of Friday, 2 October.
Investigation and arrest
Following the complaint, regional authorities launched an immediate search to track down the perpetrator. The Bouches-du-Rhône police prefecture issued a statement in support of the victim while investigators worked to trace the person seen in the video.
Investigators are fully mobilised to identify and find the perpetrator so that he can be brought to justice and answer for his actions.
Police arrested a 15-year-old suspect on Friday evening, 2 October. The Marseille public prosecutor's office announced on Saturday, 3 October, that the minor had been placed in police custody. Prosecutors opened an investigation into aggravated voluntary violence causing total temporary incapacity of eight days or less. The case carries three formal aggravating circumstances: the use of a weapon, acting with a concealed face, and acting as part of a group.
- A passerby is attacked with an ignited spray can at Place du 4-Septembre during high school protests.
- The victim files a criminal complaint as police open a search for the masked assailant.
- Police arrest a 15-year-old minor suspected of carrying out the attack.
- The Marseille prosecutor announces the suspect is in police custody under an aggravated violence probe.
Violence alongside school protests
The assault in Marseille occurred alongside wider unrest during secondary school mobilizations. Students initiated the protests to demand improved learning conditions, specifically seeking substantial recruitment to fill missing teacher positions. However, multiple acts of violence broke out around the demonstrations, prompting criticism from organizing student unions. Louis Letoublon, vice-president of the student union Les Lycéens, stated that violent acts threatened to eclipse the educational demands of the movement.
In the Bouches-du-Rhône department, the prefecture recorded 1,800 demonstrators across various rallies on Friday. Fresh incidents on that day included an assault where a teacher was doused in petrol and physically attacked by two individuals, an elderly woman was pushed, and two CRS riot officers sustained minor injuries from thrown cobblestones. Police detained approximately 60 people across the department on Friday, including 27 in Marseille, and took three minors into custody for allegedly threatening a teacher and a school headmaster on social media.
Nationwide disruption and detentions
Disruptions linked to high school blockades have affected multiple regions across France. According to the Minister of the Interior, police have detained more than 5,000 individuals nationwide since the beginning of the week in connection with the ongoing protests. Physical confrontations around school premises have left multiple students and police officers injured, while at least 40 secondary school headmasters have sustained injuries since the start of the mobilizations.
