Scores of people have been arrested in France for attempting to disrupt the Olympic Games, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday. Darmanin reported that 50 individuals were detained by security forces. They had planned “sabotage actions or radical protests” during the initial Olympic competitions, but authorities successfully prevented these efforts.
The newspaper *Le Parisien* noted that 45 members of the radical environmental group Extinction Rebellion were among those arrested. They intended to protest the social and ecological impacts of the Games.
Additionally, *Le Figaro* reported the arrest of an ultra-left-wing activist on Sunday in Oissel, about 121 kilometers northwest of Paris. The individual was apprehended at a French national train station with access keys to SNCF technical facilities, wire cutters, and a set of universal keys. The arrest is linked to an investigation into arson attacks that disrupted traffic hours before the Olympics’ opening ceremonies, affecting hundreds of thousands of travelers.
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Darmanin indicated that authorities have identified several potential suspects linked to these targeted acts of sabotage, which align with “a traditional method of the far-left.” A letter claiming responsibility, which referenced the radical left and criticized the Games, has been sent to various media outlets. The authenticity of this claim is still under investigation.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete confirmed that train services have returned to normal. Darmanin also mentioned uncertainty about whether the perpetrators received support from within SNCF. Additionally, overnight damage to fibre-optic networks was reported, though Paris remained unaffected.