Two anarchist groups in France have claimed responsibility for a widespread power outage that plunged over 160,000 people into darkness across the French Riviera — including areas hosting the Cannes Film Festival — over the weekend.
The blackout, which lasted for over five hours on Saturday, disrupted power across southern France, affecting homes, businesses, and key infrastructure. Authorities have linked the outage to a suspected arson attack on a transformer in Nice and the deliberate sabotage of an electricity pylon in Villeneuve-Loubet.
In an anonymous letter published Sunday, two self-identified anarchist collectives claimed they orchestrated the sabotage. According to reports from French media, the letter stated that the attacks were intended to cripple “strategic infrastructure,” including research facilities, start-ups, an aerospace manufacturer, the local airport, and military and tech hubs.
“The aim was not just to interrupt the film festival,” the letter read, “but to cut power to all industrial operations. We’re not on a film set — but ‘cut!’ captures our desire to shut down this deadly system.”
The timing of the incident, just ahead of the Cannes Film Festival’s awards ceremony and gala, appears to have been a deliberate political statement, according to BFM TV.
Public prosecutor Damien Savarzeix of Grasse confirmed that three of the four legs of a high-voltage pylon in Villeneuve-Loubet had been sawn through in what he described as a “malicious act.” Engineers were forced to shut down the region’s power to prevent further damage, affecting approximately 160,000 people.
The following day, a separate fire at a transformer station in Nice caused an additional outage, leaving 45,000 homes without electricity.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, strongly condemned the incidents. “I vigorously denounce these criminal acts against our country,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the city will bolster surveillance around strategic electrical sites.
Laurent Hottiaux, prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, also condemned the sabotage “in the strongest terms,” calling the attacks serious threats to public safety and critical infrastructure.
