As inflation and energy prices continue skyrocketing in Europe, people across the continent are protesting against the war in Ukraine and the anti-Russian sanctions, which have raised living costs to intolerable levels, the New York Times reported Friday.
This is making politicians nervous, as winter approaches. "The resignation on Thursday of Prime Minister Liz Truss sent perhaps the clearest signal yet that political peril awaits those who fail to address inflation and the erosion of living standards, no matter the cause," according to the Times. Studies are showing significant decreases in support for Kiev and the Western proxy war.
The European Union’s annual inflation rate is currently reaching heights not seen in decades – 10.9%, compared to 3.6% this time last year. This is largely driven by the Washington-led sanctions blitz, which has cut the bloc off from the cheap Russian gas upon which it has long relied. As winter approaches, people are making their voices heard. The demonstrations cut across the political spectrum, with the left, right, union members, and poor people all expressing severe discontent. "Strikes and protests over the rising cost of living proliferate, ushering in a period of social and labor unrest not seen since at least the 1970s," the report says.
Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced he will join a large demonstration demanding peace in Ukraine and an end to military aid shipments. Italians are becoming restless, "the pressure is everywhere. Trade unions want the government to spend more on energy subsidies to help companies like pottery makers, who need to power their furnaces, but also farmers, who are getting slammed on the cost of fertilizers, which are produced with gas or potassium from Russia."
Last month, Prague saw massive demonstrations of 70,000 people, across the political spectrum, protesting against NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine and rising energy prices caused by the anti-Russian sanctions. In the Czech Republic, the inflation rate is 17.8%.
Home energy prices continue surging in Hungary where inflation is more than 20%. In response, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has "doubled down on his policy of denouncing sanctions against Russia in pursuit of deals with Russia’s state-owned Gazprom for supplies of natural gas."
In Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, tens of thousands of people are protesting against inflation and support for the proxy war in Ukraine. This is occurring particularly in the eastern states which are "among the country’s poorest, and most conservative." However, the left is organizing similar demonstrations which "mirror the complaints of the right." For instance, roughly 1,300 protesters gathered in downtown Leipzig with signs that said "Our country first."
In France, the gross domestic product will shrink by an estimated $73 billion and there will be a concurrent 1.4 percent drop in purchasing power next year, according to a recent study cited in the report, "with the effect felt largely in poorer households."
In solidarity with Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron called on French citizens to endure the economic pain concomitant with propping up Kiev and waging the economic war against Russia. Another study cited in the report shows only a third of the French are willing to bear the brunt of the economic consequences associated with these policies. "On Tuesday, France’s main unions led large demonstrations in Paris, with tens of thousands marching for wage increases, and a survey last week by the polling firm IFOP found that support for Ukraine was down about 5 percentage points since May," the report said.
Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on the Conflicts of Interest podcast. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com, Counterpunch, and the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96.
Great to finally see others realize you can be against war AND against sanctions
This looks like war in which the West and Russia who blinks first.
The West has already blinked , Russia holds the ace cards , the people of Europe are all ready taking to the streets , once E.U governments start losing because of their backing for the war , they will soon call for peace talks , and the yanks won`t be able to do anything about it.
I think that’s quite likely.
I just scanned today’s Western MSM coverage. The “Russia is losing and desperate” narrative continues to be nearly universal and virtually every single development is shamelessly spun to support that narrative. This is still the most massive propaganda campaign I’ve seen for any US-Western military misadventure since, and including Vietnam. Up to now, it has also been the most amazingly successful at hoodwinking and brainwashing the Western masses. As jesse predicts, that may well be changing. Cold homes in winter and unaffordable groceries do tend to concentrate minds.
To the few here who appear to be most thoroughly caught in the Western media-induced trance, I strongly advise you to also begin reading, watching and listening to reports from independent critics and to government sources media from “the other side.” In that category I suggest starting with RT. Contrary to what you have been led to believe, RT coverage of the war in Ukraine has been much less twisted and slanted, less shamelessly propagandistic, than almost any major Western outlets.
Well said Red!
Yes! And wars r u.s. too.
But the CBS report above on the “Screaming Eagles” brigade in high readiness 4 mi. from the Ukraine border and backed by 100K USM would usually portend an impending pretext …?
In another article in antiwar, a Colonel has boasted that there are members of the 101st Airborne that “are ready to fight tonight!”
Yeah, that’s standard military tough talking. Extra points for rhyming. The intended audience is the troops being deployed. It’s not all that bright to telegraph intentions to the “enemy” if you actually intend to “fight tonight.”
Well, perhaps, but the usual situation is the US working to establish a pretext for attacking, and sometimes invading, some hapless target nation or guerilla fighters that have no chance of successfully resisting an initial assault. That’s not the case here. Russia would be a peer opponent and the Pentagon knows it even if the White House and the fools on the Hill do not.
If the US decides to become an active, on-the-ground belligerent in a war against Russia, many more than 100K troops will be needed. About 160K troops were sent into Iraq in the first month of the 2003 invasion, and that target had been relentlessly battered and weakened by an earlier thumping by half a million US-led troops, followed by more than a decade of punitive air strikes, crippling sanctions, etc.
I think it’s most likely that what we’re seeing is prepositioning of forces to be ready for an effort to save Odessa if (when?) Ukraine collapses.
Of course you’re right about the US famously picking fights with people who can’t fight back. But the pols typically think the military too risk averse, and this is an ideologist’s war with the fanatical neocons who own the Deep State and the pols in the saddle, … and Washington is already 80% in.
“This is still the most massive propaganda campaign I’ve seen for any US-Western military misadventure since, and including Vietnam.”
Plus, it is much, much “better” propaganda. The 1991 bludgeoning of Iraq was the testing ground for the newer version. War in its sanitized version with nothing but clean-cut all-American young men and woman as its participants. Making troop adoration a mandatory thing made any war acceptable. I don’t recall watching sporting events in the 60’s where the camera spanned the crowd until someone in uniform was found and the announcers would start gushing about that person ‘keeping us safe’. Now, you can’t watch a sporting event without seeing something of such. Just watch the NFL don their camouflage costumes on Veterans week” (not just day) during their annual ass kissing of everything military.
CNN used drums and red banners in the background while “breaking news” about “Showdown with Iraq.” I asked myself, what’s up with that? Red colors and war drums deployed by a news outlet is cheap, obvious, and unprofessional. The American public is surely too sophisticated to fall for that. (S)
Nauseating. Haven’t watched the NFL in years. The constant jingoism, and war glorification is way over the top.
We will press on. This is a spiteful nation, a spoiled nation.
When the citizens of Europe are starving,freezing and homeless refugees made so by the war started back in 2014 what will the US do to appease them. Sell them gas and oil at inflated prices killing them economically? Such is the role of Capitalism run amok in these time.Who is going to save the world?
It is the formula though, isn’t it? The system creates the tumult and the pressure cooker simmers to a boil… Eventually it will explode, then it will be a question of what happens next? Perfect for Halloween!
The desperation stage of Capitalism is Fascism: i.e., Capitalists uniting with Government (and Yellow Dog Labor) uniting with and recurring to Military in order to recover status quo ante. Elections are meaningless and the police state apparatus is employed to control the masses. And we are there.
Stop the hysteria. No one is going to die in Europe over the winter. They have enough gas reserves to make it through the winter and are already transitioning to other suppliers. Russia only supplies 30 % of Europe’s gas.
But you know who is really going to suffer? that’s Russia. Their GDP relies heavily on that EU market that’s already gone.
Uh-huh. Only.
I thought I smelled sulfur. How are things there in Hades? Got more BS to smear on this site today I guess? Read this article which is the best one I’ve found explaining Russia’s side, no big words so you’ll understand the text. https://www.globalresearch.ca/some-us-dont-think-russian-invasion-aggression-heres-why/5795980
It’s more like 40%, but it’s not like it was their sole source. https://apnews.com/article/553209d62edd0f925a3e2af00abada74
As a sign of solidarity, I am sure Macron will be sitting in the dark eating cold hot dogs.
LOL! Color photos are available in the gift shop…
And drinking a very fine wine… With his dogs, lol.
No, Beef Wellington with saucy side dishes.
An average European should have asked a long time ago, “You want me to support a proxy war between NATO/US and Russia, what’s in it for me?” I am a perfect example that it doesn’t take many brain synapses firing to recognize the stupidity of Europe’s support for Ukraine to become a member of NATO. Nuland’s famous words, “F*ck the EU,” was exactly that–Europe is f*cked. Add insult to injury, note how the MSM deludes by labeling the protests as people protesting against the “climate crisis.” Did I mention that Europe is f*cked?
You got it. Though you can be sure there were threats (sanctions) should they balk.
Nuland’s remark resonates through the MIC, the driver of the proxy war.
The people of Europe are being asked to suffer to further the geopolitical ambitions of the Americans that`s the bottom line , the yanks could careless about Europeans or Ukrainians as long as they get what they want , but you won`t see the demonstrations across Europe against the war in Ukraine on British tvs or reported in the M.S.M .
As long as they let Wash. control them, they are bound to be bombed and radiated when Wash. starts war with Russia. And, this time it won’t just be ‘over there’.
Not a peep about this on google news. Just more anti Russia, Iran, China and pro Biden/Dem. propaganda. I think google may be a little biased /s
When will Europe finally grow a pair and tell U.S. mind your damn business?
Voices against a looming war in Ukraine are increasing by the day as temperatures are dropping. The warmongers in Washington and London fear that this may result in governments being forced by their people to withdraw any more support for Ukraine. US therefore may decide to get involved now, escalate the war before it is too late (for them).