Monaco GP targeted by energy union protest – facing blackout risks!

Next month's Monaco Grand Prix is facing the risk of power cuts as part of an energy union's protest plan against France's pension reform.

The country's unions have been fighting back for several weeks against President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform that raises the age to qualify for full retirement from 62 to 64 years old.

And the unions protests showed no signs of abating in the wake of the bill being signed into law recently.

Over the weekend, the CGT Energie union, which denounced the "undemocratic method" of the Macron government, announced a plan called "100 days of actions and anger" in response to Macron's "100 days of appeasement".

The plan threatens to plunge into darkness several high profile sporting and cultural events, including the Roland-Garros French Open tennis torunament, the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.

• Read also: Silverstone boss fears for British GP amid wave of protests

"Macron has promised 100 days to appease, we promise him 100 days of action and anger! The time is far from resignation,” the unions of the National Federation Mines Energy (FNME) said in a statement, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

"The Cannes film festival, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Roland-Garros tournament, the Avignon festival could end up in the dark! We won’t give up!" they added.

The union said that electricity cutoffs will be used to meet "all our demands". Last week the CGT claimed a power cut at Montpellier Airport and at a college during President Macron's visit.

Regarding the Monaco Grand Prix weekend that will take place from May 26 to 28, it is believed that the ACM which organizes the event will have powerful back-up generators in place to cover its needs as it has every year at the F1 event, which should minimize any potential disruptions.

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