By Jethro Mullen, CNN

Hong Kong (CNN) — A violent attack on a group of Chinese students in a small town in southwest France has prompted anger and condemnation in China.

During the assault Friday night in the town of Hostens, south of Bordeaux, one of the students suffered a serious injury after a glass bottle was thrown in her face, French authorities said.

In France to study the making of wine, the six students were at home when they were attacked by three local residents who were “visibly in an inebriated state,” French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said in a statement Saturday.

He condemned the attack “with great severity,” describing it as “xenophobic.” Two of the suspected attackers have been questioned and taken into custody, he said.

The Chinese embassy in Paris on Sunday “strongly condemned” the attack, calling on French authorities to “bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of Chinese students in the country,” the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

Users of the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo also expressed anger over the attack and concern about other Chinese students living overseas.  Read further