The Grand Départ of the 2025 Tour de France may be under threat from protests held by France's second-largest trade union.
The race is set to start in Lille in Northern France on July 5, but local newspaper La Voix du Nord reports that the CGT union is planning to disrupt proceedings to protest the state of the French steel industry.
Last week, steel company ArcelorMittal announced it was cutting 600 jobs at sites around the north, including Dunkirk. The town, which will play host to the finish of stage 3, saw 1,500 workers demonstrate against the layoffs on Thursday.
Jean-Paul Delescaut, the general secretary of the CGT for the Nord department, said that, unless nationalisation of the country's steel industry is discussed, protests could prevent the start of the Tour from taking place altogether.
"If we don't sit down before July 7 to discuss the nationalisation of the steel industry, there will be no yellow jersey in Dunkirk," Delescaut said, according to La Voix du Nord.
"I respect the Tour de France and the people who love it, but this is an economic and social emergency. Metal affects everyone. Including cycling.
"Unless the Ministers of the Interior and Justice are capable of putting a CRS [riot police] officer every 20 meters, there are 178 kilometres of route between Valenciennes and Dunkirk.
"If we put 1,000 to 2,000 comrades, that's one comrade every 100 meters. They will have to bring back all the CRS companies from France so that the third stage can take place."
It remains to be seen whether an agreement can be reached to prevent protests that may affect the race in such a way. The Tour is no stranger to protests, however, with farmers, workers, and even riders protesting during the race.
The most recent major protest came during the 2022 Tour, when activists from the climate change group Dernière Rénovation blocked the road during stage 10.
