France train station attack: Horror in Mulhouse as three women stabbed by knifeman

An unidentified attacker butchered the women in Mulhouse, located in the eastern region of the country. The victims did not know the man before he approached them out of the blue yesterday at 3pm and knifed them. Local website France Bleu reported the man stabbed the first woman in the back as she walked through the train station with her 10-year-old daughter. He then stabbed another woman through the hand.

The man, a “young male”, then fled the scene of the attack before police chased him down and arrested him.

It has also been reported that the man has been known to police in France and was suffering from a “mental disorder”.

All three women are undergoing treatment in hospital, though it is not currently clear how serious their injuries are.

Violence continued in France over the weekend following protests by thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets of Paris in the wake of President Emmanuel Macron’s shocking fuel hikes, which have gone up by 23 percent in 10 months.

Mr Macron today announced he would hold emergency crisis talks with trade unions on the back of news that three people died as a result of the violence, which has also damaged the French economy.

In a bid to defuse the unrest and the criticism, the French head is expected to consult with national and local officials, trade unions and employers’ organisations.

His office also confirmed he will speak to the French people for the first time in four weeks at 8pm (7pm GMT) this evening in a move that will see the 40-year-old centrist would announce “immediate and concrete measures” to respond to protesters.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said France’s economy will be seriously affected by the protests against Mr Macron’s fuel reforms, which saw cars gutted after being set on fire and landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe graffitied.

Mr Le Maire said: “We must expect a new slowdown of economic growth at year-end due to the yellow vest protests. It is a catastrophe for trade, it is a catastrophe for our economy.”

He added: “Our country is deeply divided, between those who see that globalisation has benefited them and others who can’t make ends meet, who say globalisation is not an opportunity but a threat.”

Yesterday there were calls on Mr Macron to resign as French President.