Anger at Rising Fuel Prices Bolsters Europe's Far Right as Unrest Sweeps France
Cost-of-living pressures and a €100 billion energy shock are driving unrest and giving far-right parties fresh momentum before elections next year.
- Soaring fuel costs have triggered widespread unrest across Europe, with the European Commission estimating the Iran conflict has cost the region roughly €100 billion through disrupted trade and energy markets.
- Since the Iran war erupted in February, gas prices have jumped about 140% and diesel prices have doubled, compounding years of economic strain following the pandemic and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- Farmers' representative Arcangelo Gambino in Caltanissetta province said, "We are completely at a standstill," as fuel costs have doubled. Violent clashes erupted in Paris, where protesters demand government action.
- Populist parties are capitalizing on discontent, with National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and the Alternative for Germany gaining momentum ahead of next year's elections. Some politicians argue restoring Russian energy ties would lower costs.
- Concerns about purchasing power have become "a major driver of populist politics" across Europe, said political scientist Gilles Ivaldi at Sciences Po. These movements pressure leaders like Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Cost of living unrest fuels the rise of Europe's far-right
As soaring fuel prices squeeze household budgets and businesses across Europe, cost-of-living pressures are driving unrest and giving fresh momentum to far-right parties ahead of elections next year in countries including France, Germany and Italy.
The tractors that arrive in the city of Gela, at the southern end of Europe, display the flag of Sicily, stamped with the Medusa, three folded legs and ears of wheat, a reminder of the role of the island as a barn since Roman times. But the farmers are not bringing a harvest. They are protesting.
The rising cost of living has fuelled social unrest in Europe and could give a new boost to the extreme right-wing parties in view of the next year's elections in several countries, including France. But the discontent of people and the radical protests of the last days of France seem to be trying to take advantage of including the administrations of ...
The rise in energy prices and the cost of living has triggered protests in several European countries and offers a new impetus to extreme right-wing parties before next year's elections in France,...
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