A French teenager was hospitalized after an attack by a group of youths who had taken issue with her choice of clothing on a night out left her face disfigured.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning when the 19-year-old victim, named as Nissan, was on a date with her boyfriend in the southern French city of Toulouse.
At around 3 a.m. on Boulevard Lazare Carnot, the pair were accosted by four youths who accused the teen of being dressed inappropriately. She was wearing a crop top, which the mob claimed to be immoral.
The group, comprising two boys and two girls aged between 14 and 17, was described by the victim as being “Maghreb,” originating from Northwest Africa.
The couple were set upon by youths who attacked the girl with shards of broken glass, causing life-changing injuries to her face, back and arms, French news outlet La Depeche reported.
Her boyfriend also sustained several injuries as he attempted to defend his partner.
Video surveillance operators spotted the attack in real time and alerted the authorities, who were swiftly dispatched to the scene. Upon their arrival, the victim was covered in blood and required immediate medical attention.
Nissan was treated at the scene by emergency responders before being transferred to Hospital Purpan in Toulouse. She required around 50 stitches for the multiple wounds inflicted.
Her attackers were located not far from the scene, arrested, and placed in police custody. According to local reports, the quartet were already known to the authorities. They are expected to be indicted for the grievous attack following a referral to the juvenile prosecutor’s office.
Nissan took to social media on Thursday to post photos of her injuries.
“I want to thank you all for this wave of support after this tragedy, I’m commenting on the photos of my body so that you realize the seriousness of things, I hope justice will be done,” she tweeted.
“It’s gratuitous violence. For a trivial reason, this woman was the target of incomparable violence,” a source close to the investigation told La Depeche.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing.
