Tens of thousands of demonstrators in six German cities took to the streets yesterday to demand a fairer distribution of government funds to deal with rising energy prices and the cost of living and a faster transition from fossil fuels.
"We want to show that we urgently need socially balanced financial assistance for citizens. The government works a lot, but it cannot provide equal support to people with lower incomes and the rich," Andrea Kočis, deputy president of ver.di, one of the unions that organized the protests, told Reuters.
In Romania, protesters outside the government building in Bucharest on Thursday expressed their dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living. People across France took to the streets to demand higher wages to cushion the impact of inflation. Czechs came out to protest against the government for the way it is handling the energy crisis. British railway workers and German pilots went on strike to press for higher wages.
Across Europe, the rise in inflation has caused a wave of protests and strikes that are a reflection of citizens' growing dissatisfaction with the skyrocketing cost of living and which, as assessed by the Associated Press (AP), threaten to cause political turmoil.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced to resign after less than two months in office after her economic plans wreaked havoc on financial markets and caused further damage to the ailing economy. It shows that the risk to political leaders is becoming clearer as citizens demand action, according to AP.
The war in Ukraine has caused electricity and food prices to rise in Europe. Despite the fact that natural gas prices have fallen from record summer highs and that governments have set aside a whopping 2021 billion euros since September 576 for energy assistance to households and businesses, according to data from the Bruegel research center in Brussels, some protesters believe that this is not enough, writes AP .
Energy prices have fueled inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro to a record 9,9 percent, making it difficult for citizens to buy what they need. Some see little choice but to take to the streets.
"Today, people are forced to use pressure tactics to get a pay rise," said Rashid Ouchem, a medical worker who was among more than 100.000 people who joined protest marches in several French cities this week.
The aftermath of the war in Ukraine has sharply increased the risk of civil unrest in Europe, according to risk assessment firm Verisk Maplecroft. European leaders have strongly supported Ukraine, sending it weapons and promising or being forced to wean their economies off cheap Russian oil and natural gas, but the transition is not easy and threatens to erode public support.
"There is no quick fix for the energy crisis," says Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at Verisk Maplecroft. He added that inflation looks like next year could be worse than this year.
That means the link between economic pressure and public opinion about the war in Ukraine "will really be tested," he told the AP.
In France, where inflation is at 6,2 percent and the lowest among the 19 eurozone members, rail and transport workers, high school teachers and public hospital workers heeded a call by oil industry unions on Tuesday to demand higher wages and protest government intervention in strikes by refinery workers that caused a shortage of gasoline.
A few days later, thousands of Romanians joined a rally in Bucharest to protest the cost of energy, food and other basic necessities, which organizers said were pushing millions of workers into poverty.
Tens of thousands of Czechs protested in Prague at the end of September against the government's response to the increase in energy prices and against their country's membership in NATO and the European Union. The demonstrations were organized by far-right and fringe groups and parties, including communists, Reuters reported. Demonstrators demanded the resignation of the pro-Western coalition government, criticizing its support for sanctions against Russia.
Another protest is scheduled in Prague next week, but so far these actions have not led to political changes.
Thousands of Hungarian students and parents protested on October 14 in the second major demonstration in two weeks in support of teachers fired for joining a strike for higher pay, with more teachers warned they could be fired.
British rail workers, nurses, dock workers, lawyers and others have staged a series of strikes in recent months demanding pay rises that would keep pace with inflation at 10,1 percent, the highest rate in 40 years.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels on September 21 to protest against rising energy prices and the cost of living. A similar protest in June attracted around 70.000 Belgian workers.
Trains ground to a halt during transit action, while recent strikes by Lufthansa pilots in Germany and other airline and airport workers across Europe demanding higher wages in line with inflation have disrupted flights.
The German parliament on Friday approved a government aid package of 200 billion euros aimed at protecting companies and households from the impact of rising energy prices. Inflation in Germany reached 10,9 percent in September, which is the highest level for more than a quarter of a century.
The failed economic stimulus plan implemented by the former British prime minister included sweeping tax cuts and tens of billions of pounds in aid for household and business energy bills, with no clear plan to pay them.
This shows the kind of problem the authorities found themselves in, which, as Torbjorn Soltvedt points out, "have very little room for maneuver".
He points out that they have been saved so far by the fact that October in Europe was warmer than usual, which means that there was less need for gas to heat homes.
However, "if there is an unexpected disruption in gas supplies to Europe this winter, then we are likely to see an even greater increase in civil unrest, risk and government instability," Soltvedt said.
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