Farmers, truckers and other protesters are taking to the streets across Europe as soaring fuel prices and mounting living costs deepen public frustration, creating fresh opportunities for far-right parties ahead of elections next year.
In the Sicilian town of Gela, southern Italy, farmers have joined demonstrations over the rising cost of running agricultural machinery. Their tractors carry the island’s flag, but their message is one of financial hardship rather than harvest celebrations.
“We cultivate the land, we harvest debts,” reads one protest banner.
“We are completely at a standstill,” said Arcangelo Gambino, a farmers’ representative in Caltanissetta province, adding that fuel costs had more than doubled.
The unrest reflects growing economic pressure across the continent, where the conflict between the United States and Iran, which began in February, has pushed energy prices higher and compounded existing inflation concerns.
The European Commission estimates the conflict has cost Europe about €100 billion, or $112 billion, through disruptions to trade and energy markets. Gas prices have risen by around 140%, while diesel prices have doubled.
In France, demonstrations that began over deteriorating school facilities in northern Paris suburbs have escalated into widespread unrest, with shops looted, buildings set ablaze and a 19th-century town hall in Limoges burned.
“Why am I here? Well, quite simply, I find the current cost of living truly terrifying,” said Quentin Leviloux, a 21-year-old protester in Nantes.
He said the rising cost of food, fuel and other essentials was particularly difficult for people earning close to the minimum wage.
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged protesters’ “legitimate demands” over living costs and fuel prices in a weekend address, while condemning violence and looting.
“We must never confuse them with those who destroyed, vandalised and looted,” he said.
Elsewhere, police in Milan clashed with protesters on Sunday during demonstrations over poor public services and rising living costs. In southern Italy, roadblocks by farmers, truckers and steelworkers have disrupted transport, contributing to local fuel shortages and concerns about supermarket supplies.
Tens of thousands also marched through Lisbon on Saturday over low wages, housing costs and the rising cost of living, increasing pressure on Portugal’s centre-right government. In Spain, demonstrations over housing shortages and soaring rents intensified after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her home, contributing to the political pressure surrounding a snap election next month.
Belgium has also witnessed protests, while rallies in Albania have been driven by public anger over alleged government corruption, unemployment and poor education standards.
Political analysts say the economic strain is increasingly influencing voters’ choices and strengthening populist movements on both the far right and far left.
“Concerns about purchasing power have become a major driver of populist politics” across Europe, said Gilles Ivaldi, a political scientist at Sciences Po.
The growing discontent comes after years of economic pressure following the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Politicians on both political extremes have increasingly argued that restoring energy ties with Russia would reduce costs, challenging the European mainstream position on support for Ukraine.
In France, rising energy prices have become a central issue ahead of next April’s presidential election. The government is also struggling with a growing budget deficit and pressure from bond markets.
Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally and veteran hard-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon have both made fuel prices key parts of their campaigns.
“Rising fuel prices are clearly an issue that boosts Marine Le Pen,” Ivaldi said, adding that the issue had long been associated with her political platform.
Polling by Elabe indicates that Le Pen’s ratings have improved since the Iran war began, while Macron’s have declined. Her proposal to sharply reduce value-added tax on fuel has attracted broad public support, particularly among voters in rural and semi-rural communities where driving is often essential.
In Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is leading national opinion polls following strong performances in local elections. The cost of living has ranked as Germans’ leading concern for five consecutive years, according to a survey published this month.
Inflation reached a nearly three-year high in September, while energy price inflation climbed to 14.9%, giving the AfD further grounds to criticise Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government.
The party wants Germany to restore energy ties with Russia, arguing that Berlin’s support for Ukraine is harming an economy and industries heavily dependent on energy.
Jan Steckel, a professor of the political economy of climate change at the Technical University of Munich, said past experience pointed to a link between high energy prices and stronger voter support for the AfD.
“Populist parties often frame energy costs as avoidable and attribute them to government policy choices … rather than to the underlying geopolitical shocks that drive them,” he said.
He added that incumbent parties often struggle to explain those geopolitical factors to voters.
Similar arguments are gaining ground in Italy and Poland. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces growing competition from National Future, a new far-right party led by former army general Roberto Vannacci, which supports restoring gas links with Russia.
In Poland, rising energy bills are helping the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown gain support. Its leader, Grzegorz Braun, has called for Poland to resume buying Russian oil and gas.
Braun has also made the case alongside AfD politicians in Lubmin, Germany, where the damaged Nord Stream pipelines reach land.
“I love the smell of Russian gas in the morning,” he said.
Ojo Triumph
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