12/7/2020
France: Attacks On Speed Cameras Ramp Up AgainFrench vigilantes increased attacks on speed cameras last week after taking a lockdown break.
Attacks on speed cameras dropped significantly as the Yellow Vest movement in 2019 gave way to government lockdowns. Between January and June this year, there were only 1988 attacks compared to 7569 in 2019, according to the experts at Radars Auto. Over the weekend, vigilantes stepped up their activity, taking out the speed camera on the RD104 in Les Assions by setting it on fire on Sunday. This was the fifth time the device has been disabled this year. On Saturday the camera on the RN36 in Guignes was also torched, along with the device on the RD786 in Minihy-Treguier. In Guadeloupe, an archipelago in the Caribbean, opponents of automated ticketing machines torched the speed camera in Perrin that had just been installed on Friday. One day before that, in Deshaies, the pole-mounted "turret" speed camera burned. In Goyave, the turret speed camera was ripped out of the ground and set ablaze.
Back on the continent, the recently installed speed camera on the RN785 near Pont-l'Abbe was blinded with white spraypaint. On Wednesday, the speed camera on the RN165 near Plougoumelen was set on fire with burning tires just hours before it was set to begin issuing automated tickets. Also on Wednesday, vigilantes toppled the speed camera in Pradines. On the RN202 in St-Andre-les-Alpes, vigilantes disabled the speed camera on November 29.