A mischievous teenage boy toting a water gun has reportedly been dousing people in France to their and law enforcement's chagrin. Per the New York Post, this is no cute little prank. It's being taken with the utmost seriousness by authorities, having gone on for what the outlet says is several weeks. The Post states the boy, Hamza F., is "looking for quick laughs while gaining social media notoriety as he claims to be the next Parisian attraction."
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This soggy scamp has allegedly been arrested for his hijinks multiple times, including reportedly twice in a single week. The youngster has some business savvy, too. Hamza charges a nominal fee for the spray. He perhaps thinks some may welcome the water-gun shower while France sizzles from high summer temps. For him, maybe it's an income stream! However, tourists and drivers he targets are not so thrilled.
Hamza Allegedly Mimics Algerian Customs Agents
It seems like Hamza cunningly took a page from the playbook of Algerian customs agents. (He reportedly hails from that country.) The boy supposedly told this to French publication Le Pariesien, according to the Post. "In Algeria ... when you pay the customs officers, they don't search you ... you can go on. I've got the same idea." He added with impunity, "Most of the time, I don't apologize, I spray, and I run away,"
His Actions Allegedly Go Beyond Spraying People
Per the outlet, Hamza has done other things that seem to break boundaries and infuriate people. He allegedly sprayed a policeman with water, flung a chair into the Saint-Martin Canal, and pushed a sunbather into the canal,
Within a week, Hamza was allegedly arrested on two separate occasions.
At least one prominent person has had enough of the boy. Julien Odoul is a French National Assembly member. He asked in exasperation on X, "And the leftists talk about a nice boy who only does water fights at the Canal Saint-Martin... How long are we going to tolerate the actions of this scum?" (This was translated from the French by the Post.)
Hamza Reportedly Has a Lawyer
According to the Post, his lawyer, Elsa Marcel, issued a press release about the situation on July 2. She pushed back against the way Hamza has allegedly been treated. "For several days, Hamza F., a 13-year-old boy, has been the victim of a torrent of racist hatred following a media offensive initiated by far-right figures and then widely amplified. A child's water fights and games have thus become, in the space of a few hours, a national controversy." (Translated by the Post.)
