Since May 16, 2026, more than 150 caravans (estimates range from 130 to 160) have illegally occupied a private plot in Longvic (Côte-d’Or). The occupiers are followers of the Pentecostal movement. An attempt to hook up to the electricity grid caused a short circuit, sparking a fire at an Enedis substation and leaving the neighborhood without power. Damage to fences and accumulation of waste were also reported.
The mayor's office filed a complaint on May 18 and is preparing an eviction order. Mayor Céline Tonot (PS) says the municipal travellers' site was damaged by previous visitors and repairs are expected by May 31. The community claims it received verbal permission from the town hall and promises to leave within a week to ten days, by the end of the week, before a gathering near Chaumont. The town hall denies consent. Legal proceedings may take time, and it is estimated the caravans will leave before they conclude.
Separately, on May 19, about a hundred caravans illegally occupied the Argoulet leisure base in Toulouse; the mayor's office has begun eviction proceedings.