Why was I attacked by a French woman in Paris?

Question

I want to share an incident with anyone who can help me understand what happened. Last week I was in Paris and while trying to buy a ticket from the metro, a woman grabbed me by my backpack and pulled me so hard that I almost fell on the floor! She then started shouting in my face and pushing me.

This continued for 5 minutes with her following me and shouting towards me in French and me being in total shock trying to understand what was going on. Other people gathered around and tried to prevent me from starting a fight with her and kept saying do not give her any attention. When I asked what she was saying they said: "nothing.. it doesn't matter.. she is crazy".

I have 3 possible explanations:

(1) She was annoyed that it took me so long to figure out which ticket to bye (the instructions were in French).

(2) My backpack was 'Lonsdale' and had 2 small British flags on it. I know that the French hate the British (Ironically I am not British!)

(3) The woman was just crazy

Answer 1

Could have been all your options 1, 2, & 3....

OR she could have thought you were a potential terrorist?  With all the stuff going on in London recently, perhaps she thought you had a bomb or something in your backpack?  

OR it could be that she was trying to pickpocket you by distracting you with her tirades...

OR she could have been experiencing a particular heavy 'flow' day and you know how menstrual cramps turn a woman into a raving lunatic!!!

OR the Boulangerie was out of bread, and you know what happens when French people run out of bread (think French Revolution)

Do not look too much into this incident...there are jerks all over the world, France is no exclusion to this.  The French do not hate the British anymore than they hate anyone else (themselves included).  Do not take her actions towards you personally.

I had a homeless man attack me once in Grenoble (southeastern France), but I just laughed it off.  Everyone has a bad day now and again and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when homeless guy was itching to engage in battle, LOL.

I love France and the French people, and I won't let a few loose screws leave a distates in my mouth.

Answer 2

If I had been there I would have done just the same.

I can't stand British backpackers in the Paris subway.

Answer 3

3. She is a real wierd - O. But the British flags may have set her off.  Too bad.  Apparently those people that pulled you away realized that she was a real loon.

Answer 4

Have read your account very carefully, as I spend quite a lot of time in Paris, but what you describe could happen anywhere, I think.  I would agree with the people who were trying to help you and protect you - she was crazy.  She certainly sounds more than annoyed (1)!  It must have been very upsetting.

Answer 5

None of the above the above they hate americans...:)

Answer 6

She's crazy - she was obviously known to them if they told you not to give her any attention. The French usually stick together so if you'd done something wrong other's would have told you.

I'm afraid it's just a bad experience - please don't take this as common place in France!

Answer 7

I think she must just have been crazy - possibly it was a case of mistaken identity, or perhaps it was your backpack - who knows? Clearly whatever she was saying was not believed or taken seriously by the passers-by, since it would have been more natural for at least some of them to take her side than yours.

Crazy people are not exclusive to Paris, so please don't let it dominate your recollection of the holiday!

Incidentally ticket machines in metro stations have multiple language options, if you're here again ;-)

Answer 8

i don't think it's the second reason.

Answer 9

Well I reckon she was a crazy!!

You should have give her one across the nose!!

Answer 10

I'm guessing she was just plain crazy or on a lot of drugs.

Answer 11

They`re all ******* animals in france!!

Answer 12

I think it might be 1, 2 and 3. But most particularly 3. Parisian women can be annoying but this is insanity.

Answer 13

I think it's  (3), the woman was a nutter. But were you sure she's French ? Generally French women don' t behave like that unless those inside a mental institution. Don't forget it's hard for you to tell, so many different nations in Paris. Some Arabic women like to dye their hair Blondie and talk some broken French and for you they are French.

Answer 14

she liked your cologne.  ;)

Answer 15

She was just asking if you had any British Lamb. Some truck driver mates of her's fancied a quick bonfire.

Answer 16

if she was waiting to get a ticket her self then yes, you did take to long to make your choice, why was she screaming i don't know, but French people are very Punctual. your probably made her to be late for something. next time you go to France keep this in mind and learn more about how people might be in other countries.

mybe this is why the people told you what she was saying didn't matter she was bit*hing about being late.

Answer 17

Did you f**t or something?

Answer 18

she drunk a lot ....

Answer 19

i think it was all three lol

Answer 20

As you don't seem to have been fluent enough in French to have understood what she was saying, and the people around told you she was crazy, I have to ask where were the gend'armes?  I should think she got carried off just after you got out of there.  At least I should hope so.  She sounds as if she needed a term in the French version of Belleview....The French are generally pretty reserved when it comes to that sort of thing.

I'm guessing 3.

Answer 21

hehehe!

Must be the British tag

Answer 22

3

Answer 23

Option 3. Crazy woman! Hope you are OK now.

Answer 24

SHE WAS FRENCH. THEY ARE ALL BARKING MAD.

Answer 25

She probably saw your backpack and thought you are British so started having a go.

What did they mean by crazy though? Like literally she is crazy? I think she just doesn't like the British. :O/

Answer 26

she was crazy...it could have happened to everyone else...I'm so sorry for you !!

Answer 27

You should have sparked the frog out mate.

Answer 28

It had to be time of the month!

Answer 29

If people were saying nothing it doesn't matter, she was probably saying something racist/abusive about you that they didn't want to repeat!  Dont stress about it, she sounds like a nutter!

Answer 30

It's a disease, a very common one in France: madness...

My girlfriend and I were in Paris last week. In the underground, a guy sat opposite to us and started to moan about the french (he was northern african) but aimed at us. As we moved he verbally agressed us. We just did not pay attention to him.

Similar stories happened to me or my girlfriend almost every time we went to France.

I therefore concluded that madness spreads like a virus in France, and that mad people are left free, and have a tendency to attack foreign tourists.