Scores Arrested In France Over Alleged Plan To Cause Disruption At Olympics

Scores of people have been reportedly detained in France for attempting to interfere with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In a statement issued on Monday, July 29, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that security personnel apprehended 50 individuals.

These individuals aimed to engage in acts of sabotage or extreme demonstrations during the initial Olympic events, but the authorities thwarted their plans, he explained.

The daily Le Parisien reported that 45 members of the extreme environmental group Extinction Rebellion have been taken into custody.

They intended to stage protests against the environmental and social impacts of the Olympics.

Le Figaro also mentioned that a member of the ultra-left-wing movement was captured on Sunday in Oissel, approximately 121 kilometres northwest of Paris.

This individual was detained at a French national train station or SNCF facility, possessing keys to SNCF technical buildings, tools like wire cutters, and a collection of universal keys and materials related to the ultra-left movement found in his vehicle.

The Paris prosecutor’s office indicated that this arrest was linked to the investigation into the arson incidents that disrupted traffic the night before the Olympics’ commencement, affecting numerous travellers.

Darmanin also mentioned to France 2 that his department has better understood the potential culprits behind these arson incidents.

“We have identified several profiles of individuals who may have carried out these very deliberate and highly targeted acts of sabotage,” he said.

Darmanin said the attacks align with “a traditional method of the far-left.”

As reported, a letter regarding the radical left-wing scene and criticism of the Olympic Games was sent to various media outlets.

Darmanin emphasized the importance of verifying the letter’s authenticity and determining if individuals are falsely taking credit for the actions.

According to Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete in an interview with RTL, trains have resumed normal operations.

Darmanin stated that whether the perpetrators had assistance from individuals within the SNCF is unclear.

Overnight, unidentified individuals damaged fibre-optic networks in some regions of France. However, French media confirmed that Paris, the current host of the Summer Olympics, was not impacted.