Crime

French Riviera Hit by Second Power Outage in Two Days

MAY 26 2025·Updated MAY 27 2025

Story

Above: A municipal police officer directs traffic as traffic lights no longer function after a power outage struck Southwestern France, on the final day of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 24, 2025. Image credit: Sameer al-Doumy/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

A fire at an electrical substation in Nice's Moulins district caused a power outage affecting approximately 45,000 homes starting around 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, with authorities attributing the incident to malicious acts and finding tire tracks and a broken door at the facility.
Lemonde
BBC News
The Nice blackout temporarily disrupted the city's tramway network, briefly cut power to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport during overnight closure hours, and affected neighboring towns of Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Cagnes-sur-Mer before power was fully restored by 5:30 a.m.
The Washington Post
Dw.Com
The incident occurred one day after a separate power outage hit Cannes during the final day of the film festival, affecting over 200,000 homes for five hours due to an arson attack on a substation and vandalism of an electricity pylon.
Sky News
France 24
EuroNews
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi strongly condemned the malicious acts and announced plans to reinforce security camera networks around the city's strategic electrical sites, while prosecutors opened a criminal investigation for organized arson.
The Washington Post
BBC News
Two anarchist groups claimed responsibility for the Cannes attack in a statement posted online, saying their aim was to disrupt both the festival and deprive industrial establishments of electricity, though authorities have not verified this claim.
The Washington Post
EuroNews
The Cannes Film Festival managed to continue its closing ceremony and award events using backup generators, as numerous politicians condemned the alleged sabotage in statements.
guardian
EuroNews

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

These coordinated attacks on critical infrastructure represent a serious threat to public safety and national security that demands immediate action. The deliberate targeting of electrical facilities during major cultural events like the Cannes Film Festival shows a calculated effort to cause maximum disruption and endanger lives by knocking out traffic lights, emergency services, and vital infrastructure. French authorities are right to treat these as terrorist acts that require relentless pursuit of the perpetrators and enhanced security measures around all strategic sites.

guardian

France 24

Narrative B

While anarchist groups may have taken credit for these attacks, Russia has also been accused of similar acts of sabotage and arson across the continent. The fact that such vital infrastructure could be damaged at such a high-profile event is a bad sign, and Europe must strengthen all of its frontiers against potential threats that may be bigger in scale than a few radical activists. Europe needs to take the prospect of state-sponsored attacks from Russia meant to destabilize the free world more seriously.

The Washington Post