Thirsty Protesters Flood French Town With Red Wine

There's no use crying over spilled wine, unless of course it's thousands of bottles worth: The streets of Sète, France ran red after so-called "wine terrorists" spilled the coveted beverage from the tanks of a local wine wholesaler, the Telegraph reports.

The Comité d'Action Viticole (Wine Action Committee) claimed responsibility for the alcoholic deluge, which streamed down Avenue du Maréchal-Juin outside the facilities of wine wholesaler Biron S.A., L’Express reports. Between 20,000 and 50,000 liters of wine were lost in the incident; firefighters were dispatched to clean up the flood, which apparently left the whole town smelling like a wino.

The protest group is motivated by the belief that the French government doesn't do enough to protect small wine producers from foreign imports. It's claimed responsibility for a number of similar incidents in years past, in addition to some exploits involving explosives. They're apparently not alone in their concerns: Back in April, an unaffiliated group of angry vintners hijacked tankers full of Spanish wine, dumping it onto the roadway in protest of increased foreign imports.

Of course, wine-related crime isn't limited to political protests: Wineries in France, Italy, and California have suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in losses at the hands of bandits who have absconded with cases of high-end wines in pursuit of profits.

• French 'Wine Terrorists' Flood Town [Telegraph]

• Thousands of Liters of Wine Spread in the Streets of Sète [L'Express]

• Thieves Abscond With $200,00 Worth of Wine in Italy [E]