In the wee hours of Monday morning, telecommunications infrastructure across France was targeted in what appeared to be a coordinated effort to disrupt the network. The act of sabotage impacted numerous telecommunications providers, however the culprits failed to cause any disruptions in Paris, thus the events themselves went off without a hitch.
The incident occurred just days after suspected far-left agitators vandalised train tracks in the north of the country, wreaking havoc on the rail system and causing lengthy delays for those making their way to Paris for the games. Another attempted attack on train travel was thwarted, with one suspect arrested after trying to gain access to a network control room. Authorities have suggested the attacks were perpetrated by far-left activists in protest over the Olympic Games, viewed as a manifestation of the capitalist and nationalist world order they so despise.
According to the Times, the suspect detailed at a railway yard in Normandy while trying to kick off a second major railway disruption had far-left propaganda in their vehicle, along with keys to the control room, a cutting tool, and a master key.
The attacks on SFR and Free telecommunications infrastructure took place between 1 am and 3 am in Aude, Hérault, Bouches-du-Rhône, and Drôme in the south, and Meuse and Oise in the north. The latter is less than 100km north of Paris.
"We know that it's in places where there are several digital traffic routes that pass through several operators," NETALIS president Nicolas Guillaume told France24, "so once again we sense that it's been done to destroy and harm French and European internet traffic. There's little doubt that it's an act of malice."
As the Times reports, the day before the Opening Ceremony, telecommunications infrastructure in Toulouse was attacked, with perpetrators burning a mobile network antenna and tagging it with "No JO," French for "No Olympics" using spray paint.
