Strikes in the hours before the opening of the Olympics • Investigates message from “unknown delegation”
Almost a million travelers were affected when French train services were sabotaged just hours before the opening of the Olympics.
It is unclear who is behind the sabotage, but authorities are now investigating a message from an “unknown delegation”, reports French Le Parisien.
It was on Friday morning – hours before the opening of the Olympics in Paris – that the news of the major sabotage against the French train service hit.
Several fires had been set on tracks for high-speed trains, with a major impact on train traffic.
French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned the sabotage, which he referred to as “criminal acts”. The country’s Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, also stated:
– To destroy for the games is to destroy for France, she said.
Examining letters
The French International Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime, which is investigating the incident, is now examining an email sent to several French and international media outlets.
According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, which received the message, it was sent by an “unknown delegation” that opposes the Olympic Games and claims responsibility for the sabotage. The sender must be an address previously linked to the political extreme left.
“We see it as a celebration of nationalism, a gigantic staging of states’ subjugation of populations,” the message reads, according to the French newspaper La Voix du Nord.
The message is now being verified by the authorities and it is still unclear who is actually behind the sabotage against the railway.
Continued delays over the weekend
The French counterpart to SJ – SNCF – warned on Friday that trains would be affected throughout the weekend, with several delayed departures.
France24 reports that the high-speed trains look like they could be running again on Monday.
– There will be delays tomorrow, but as of Monday there should be no cause for concern, says Transport Minister Vergriete, according to the news channel.