Paris chaos as vandals target French phone networks in another sabotage attack
France was also the target of a widespread attack on its rail infrastructure last week.
Numerous telecommunications lines have been hit by acts of vandalism, the French government has said, affecting fibre lines and both fixed and mobile phone lines, with cities around the country hosting events for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The scale of the impact is unclear, as is whether it has affected any Olympic activities.
However, the vandalism came after arson attacks hit train networks around France on Friday, hours before the Olympics opening ceremony.
Marina Ferrari, secretary of state in charge of digital affairs, posted on X that damage in several regions overnight had affected telecommunications operators.
She said that led to localised impact on access to fiber lines and fixed and mobile telephone lines.
She added: "Under my supervision, the Center for Defense Electronic Communications cooperates with operators until communications and services are fully restored.
"I condemn in the strongest terms these cowardly and irresponsible acts.
"Thank you to the teams mobilised this morning to carry out repairs and restore damaged sites to service."
Paris 2024 Olympics organisers would not immediately comment.
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A French police official said at least six of France’s administrative departments were affected, which include the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille, hosting Olympic soccer and sailing competitions.
Telecom operators Bouygues and Free confirmed their services were affected.
French media reports said lines operated by provider SFR also were hit.
The parent company of Free said its teams are mobilised to restore services.
A national investigation is underway into last week's train sabotage, which disrupted travel for nearly a million passengers in France as well as people in London and in other neighboring countries.
Train traffic had largely resumed by this morning.
Des dégradations commises dans plusieurs départements cette nuit ont affecté nos opérateurs de télécommunications.
— Marina Ferrari (@Marina_Ferrari) July 29, 2024
Elles ont des conséquences, localisées, sur l’accès à la fibre, la téléphonie fixe et la téléphonie mobile.
Sous ma supervision, le centre pour les communications…
French media reported that an extreme-left activist was arrested at a rail facility on Sunday in the Seine-Maritime region of western France.
But the Paris prosecutor’s office said it was unconnected to what happened Friday and that no one has been arrested so far in the national investigation into the arson attacks.
An investigation had already been opened after a blaze at a mobile phone relay antenna near Toulouse on Thursday night
Authorities are examining an "ultra-left" anti-Olympics claim, without ruling out a possible accidental origin. A tag reading "NO OLYMPICS" tag was notably found nearby.
Speaking today, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 45 members of Extinction Rebellion had been arrested in conneciton with last week's arson attacks.
He accused them, and roughly 100 others, of planning “sabotage or radical protest actions” during the Olympics.
Additional reporting by Maria Ortega
