Cannes Film Festival: Power Outage & Anarchist Link?
Anarchists Claim Cannes Film Festival Power Outage
Updated May 26, 2025
The final day of the Cannes Film Festival faced disruption after a power outage, wiht anarchist groups claiming responsibility. The groups asserted in an online letter that the act targeted not only the festival but also technological and military establishments in the area. A second power outage also impacted Nice.
The initial disruption on Saturday stemmed from a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes and a downed high-voltage line, according to RTE, the electricity network operator. Approximately 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes area were affected, leaving businesses and hotels without power. The incident raised concerns about energy sabotage and its impact on critical infrastructure.
While some film screenings were delayed, festival organizers managed to continue the closing ceremonies by switching to an independent power supply. However, local businesses anticipating high sales suffered losses. Local authorities quickly suspected sabotage, with area prefect Laurent Hottiaux condemning the “serious acts of damage.”
FranceInfo reported that the investigation revealed two arson incidents at the Saint-Cassien power plant and intentionally damaged power line pylons.A subsequent blackout in Nice on Sunday was also attributed to arson at an electrical transformer. Nice Mayor christian Estrosi stated that police would be mobilized to identify suspects, condemning the acts.
The message claiming responsibility, posted on Indymedia, stated the action aimed to disrupt the festival and cut power to research centers, factories of Thales Alenia Space, french Tech start-ups, the airport, and other industrial, military, and technological establishments.
“On the eve of the Cannes Film festival awards ceremony and gala evening,we sabotaged the main electrical substation supplying the Cannes metropolitan area and cut down the 225 kV line coming from Nice,” the letter stated.
Authorities have not yet verified the connection between the message and the attacks, nor have the outages in Nice and Cannes been officially linked. Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said the investigation is in its early stages.
What’s next
The investigation continues to determine the full extent of the damage and the methods used in the attacks. Authorities are working to enhance security measures to prevent future incidents targeting critical infrastructure.