Nine’s Olympic staff attacked in Paris during attempted robbery; police investigate alleged gang rape

Paris: Two members of Nine’s Olympics broadcast team have escaped serious injury after they were attacked during an attempted robbery on the outskirts of Paris on Monday.

The pair were walking to their accommodation in the municipality of Le Bourget, north-east of Paris, when a group of people attempted to snatch one of their backpacks late on Monday afternoon, Paris time.

French police patrol the city ahead of the Olympic Games. Credit: Eddie Jim

The tech workers were allegedly assaulted in the scuffle that ensued but managed to pull themselves to safety. The alleged attack has been reported to the police.

Nine, owner of this masthead, has about 200 staff in Paris working on its Olympic Games coverage across television, radio and publishing.

The incident, which was confirmed by two sources familiar with the assault who asked not to be named, is the second violent attack against Australians in 48 hours after a woman was allegedly gang-raped in a popular Parisian nightlife district in the early hours of Sunday morning, Paris time.

News of the alleged sexual assault prompted security advisers for the Australian Olympic Committee to reiterate their advice to athletes against travelling alone and wearing their Olympic uniforms while out in Paris.

Australia’s chef de mission Anna Meares said she had been informed about the case.

A kebab shop on Boulevard de Clichy in Paris where an Australian tourist apparently sought refuge after being allegedly ganged raped on Saturday night.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola

“It sounds horrific,” she said. “Obviously, our hearts go out to the woman involved, and we hope she’s been cared for and supported in the trauma that she’s experienced.”

The 25-year-old woman said she was raped by five men before finding refuge at a kebab restaurant on Saturday night, police sources told local publication Le Figaro.

The attack was said to have taken place at the Boulevard de Clichy, a famous street in the 18th arrondissement near the Moulin Rouge nightclub.

Meares said she hadn’t received any feedback from athletes that they had felt unsafe. The advice to wear plain clothes outside the village came from team security.

“[The] information we’re passing on to our athletes is that security presence is really high, and that’s in order for them to be able to act as quickly as possible to keep them safe,” Meares told reporters in Paris.

“We are encouraging them if they go out of the village not to go out on their own, not to wear team uniform, just to wear plain clothes. We are waiting on further information on the actual case itself.”

A witness who did not want to be identified said he provided assistance to the woman outside the kebab restaurant before first responders arrived at the scene about 5am (Paris time).

“I will never forget it,” he said.

Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage of the area and will meet with the owners of the restaurant this afternoon.

The tree-lined boulevard in the district of Montmartre is a popular nightlife destination and home of the famous cabaret the Moulin Rouge. The street is dotted with bars, restaurants, fast-food outlets, adult shops, and cabarets.

In a statement, the Paris prosecutor’s office said it had started an investigation into the alleged “gang rape likely to have been committed on the night of July 19 to 20”. No arrests have been made.

“A woman born in ... 1998 in Australia reported the facts in taking refuge in a restaurant in the 18th arrondissement, where she was taken care of by the firefighters,” the statement read.

The woman did not speak French and was found wandering outside the kebab shop, local publication Le Figaro reported. Police were told her dress was inside out.

Local police officers and a fire crew took the woman to the nearby Bichat-Claude Bernard hospital.

A police source with knowledge of the case said the woman wasn’t able to provide details about the place and circumstances of the alleged assault and was reluctant to formally report it to the police because she had been planning to return to Australia over the weekend.

“Despite all the obstacles, investigators will do everything possible to quickly identify these people and send them to justice,” police said.

The Boulevard de Clichy in Montmartre is a popular nightlife strip in Paris home to the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola

“Several investigation techniques will be used along with technical and scientific police.”

‘Terrible and shocking news’

Games organisers expressed shock at the alleged rape, which allegedly occurred in a popular tourist area, less than a week before the opening ceremony, at a time when additional police and private security have flooded into Paris to keep the Olympic city safe.

Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps extended sympathy to the 25-year-old woman.

“We heard this terrible news and shocking news,” Descamps said. “We have been working over the last years in order to ensure the wellbeing, the security of all those people who will come to Paris in the coming weeks and we will continue to work with the authorities in order to provide to all the spectators, the stakeholders, the best security we can provide in France.

“Regarding this terrible situation we can just say that we heard about it and felt very sorry about this situation.”

Since 2019, Paris 2024 has sought advice from an expert committee on sexual discrimination and violence to prepare all Games workers, including an army of 45,000 volunteers, to respond to any attacks against women.

Marie Barsacq, the Paris 2024 director of impact and legacy, said police and other security working at or near Games venues were briefed every morning how to support victims of sexual violence.

She said Paris 2024 had partnered with France Victim, a national support organisation for victims of sexual discrimination and violence, to advise workers how to respond to any alleged incidents or attacks at Olympic venues.

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