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Teen charged after girl pushed on tracks

A 15-year-old girl suspected of pushing a fellow student in front of a regional (RER) train south-east of Paris was charged and put in a prison over the weekend.

Published: 25 November 2012 22:41 CET

The incident occurred on Thursday evening when an argument broke out between the teenagers on the platform of the Yerres station as a train was arriving.

The victim, an 18-year-old woman, described by prosecutor Gilles Charbonnier in stable condition, was fighting for her life, Le Parisien reported.

The woman’s legs have been amputated and she suffered from excessive bleeding and bone fractures.

She had been jostled while waiting for the train on her way home for the day, according to police reports.

Still conscious, she was treated by medics at the train station for two hours before being transported by helicopter to a regional hospital.

The suspect was interviewed after the incident and placed in detention.

The interviews were hampered by the fact the young girl was “marked by the events that resulted,” Charbonnier is quoted as saying by Le Parisien.

“She spoke sparingly.”

The two girls were placed with the same host family while attending school several years earlier and they “did not like each other,” Charbonnier said.

The 15-year-old faces a charge of attempted voluntary homicide.

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Germany's youth 'have lost their sense of fun', study finds

Two teen skateboarders in Dresden in April 2018. Photo: DPA

The researchers behind the Sinus-Youth Study 2020 noted that “health is an ever more important issue” for German teens.

“Glamour, fun or the fulfilment of consumer desires play a less important role in the lives of participants than they did a few years ago” the study found.

“Instead, 'normal' goals like finishing school, the maintaining friendships and spending time with family seem to be important.

READ ALSO: German teenagers drinking less alcohol: Study

The researchers conducted repeat interviews with 72 teenagers. While the results cannot be considered representative, the depth of the study is unparalleled in German youth research.

Unlike their parents’ generation, the youth of today no longer sees pop stars like David Bowie as their inspiration. “They are much more likely to name someone who they know personally as a major influence.”

Sub-cultures are disappearing, the study notes, as ever more youth aspire to a “mainstream” life built around family, children and a solid but unspectacular job.

Although the 600-page report concludes that “somewhere along the line the concept of fun seems to have been lost,” the word Spaß (fun) is mentioned throughout.

But whereas Spaß once meant hedonism or rebellion, these days it is “Spaß am Lernen” (fun in learning) and “Spaß an der Arbeit” (fun at work) that are the top priorities for many kids.

“Teenagers have an ever more serious and realistic view of the world and its problems,” the study says. “They are concerned – even afraid.”

Top on the list of Weltschmerzen that the German youth are feeling is fear over climate change. They feel that their point of view is not taking seriously enough by older generations, who they see as doing too little to tackle the issue.

“The zeitgeist among teens is both green and conservative,” the study says.

Concerns were also raised among participants about migration and the polarising debate around it.

Many have a nuanced view of this issue, and are more likely to point out positives and negatives than those interviewed for the last study in 2016.

At the same time they fear a rise in hate speech. The ideals of solidarity, and self-sacrifice and modesty were mentioned prominently by participants.

READ ALSO: 2016 German teens just want to be mainstream

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