Major Power Outage in Alpes-Maritimes: Anarchist Claim Under Investigation

The prosecutors of Grasse and Draguignan are examining an anonymous claim posted online on Sunday by groups identifying themselves as two “bands of anarchists.” In this statement, shared on a far-left activist platform, the authors claim responsibility for the sabotage that caused a large-scale power outage on the Côte d’Azur on Saturday, May 24, leaving 160,000 households without electricity for several hours.

A Targeted Operation Against the Cannes Festival and Industrial Infrastructure

According to them, the action aimed not only to disrupt the closing ceremony of the Cannes Festival but also to strike the region’s industrial and technological facilities, including research centers, aerospace factories, the airport, and military installations. “Cut! This word sums up our intention: to shut down this deadly system,” they wrote in a defiant tone.

Among the incidents, a high-voltage transmission tower connecting Nice to Cannes was found damaged in Villeneuve-Loubet: three of its four legs were sawed off, forcing the operator RTE to cut power in order to intervene urgently. An arson attack also targeted an electrical transformer in Tanneron, Var, a few hours earlier.

Electricity was gradually restored, with full service returning around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Laurent Hottiaux, condemned the acts as “serious sabotage,” and the Interior Ministry called for increased security around critical infrastructure nationwide.

For now, the authors of the statement remain unidentified, and the authenticity of their claim is yet to be confirmed. Two separate investigations have been opened—one in Grasse and another in Draguignan—to determine the exact circumstances of these acts of vandalism.