As France erupts, Europe's far right gains from fuel-price anger ahead of elections
PARIS/ROME/BERLIN, Oct 20 - The tractors rolling into the town of Gela on the southern tip of Europe are flying the Sicilian flag, emblazoned with Medusa, three bent legs and ears of wheat, a reminder of the island's role as a breadbasket since Roman times.
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tractors → erupt → times
But the farmers are not bringing in a harvest.
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farmers → bring → harvest
They are protesting.
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They → protest → ?
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, Italy and Poland.
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pressures → soar → France
Parties once considered fringe had already been gaining ground, with voters from motorists in rural France to young men in Germany's former Communist east looking for alternatives.
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voters → consider → alternatives
The US-Iran war, which erupted in February and sent energy prices sharply higher, has compounded the challenge for governments already struggling to contain inflation, support growth and rein in spending.
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which → erupt → spending
The discontent has spilled onto the streets.
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discontent → spill → streets
In France, demonstrations that began over deteriorating school facilities in Paris' northern suburbs have morphed into some of the country's worst unrest in decades, with shops looted, buildings torched and a 19th-century town hall in Limoges set on fire.
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hall → begin → fire
Well, quite simply, I find the current cost of living truly terrifying," said Quentin Leviloux, a 21-year-old protester in Nantes.
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Leviloux → find → Nantes
"Just think of people who earn barely the minimum wage, when you look at the cost of food, fuel, and everything else.
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you → think → food
It’s terrifying how incredibly expensive things have become."
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things → ’ → ?
The European Commission estimates the Iran conflict has cost Europe roughly €100 billion ($112 billion) through disrupted trade and energy markets.
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conflict → estimate → markets
Gas prices have jumped about 140% and diesel prices have doubled.
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prices → jump → ?
In a weekend address, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the "legitimate demands" of protesters angered by rising living and fuel costs, while condemning those responsible for violence and looting.
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Macron → acknowledge → violence
"We must never confuse them with those who destroyed, vandalised and looted," he said.
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he → confuse → those
PROTESTS ERUPT ACROSS EUROPE
Violence has also erupted elsewhere.
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Violence → erupt → EUROPE
In the wealthy northern Italian city of Milan, police clashed on Sunday with protesters hurling stones and looting stores during demonstrations over poor public services and rising living costs.
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protesters → clash → services
In Gela, on Sicily's southern coast, farmers say fuel costs have made operating machinery prohibitively expensive.
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costs → say → machinery
"We cultivate the land, we harvest debts," said one banner.
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banner → cultivate → debts
"We are completely at a standstill," said Arcangelo Gambino, a farmers' representative in Caltanissetta province.
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Gambino → say → province
"The (fuel) cost has more than doubled.
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cost → double → ?
Roadblocks by truckers, farmers and steelworkers have disrupted transport across parts of southern Italy, contributing to local fuel shortages and concerns over supermarket supplies.
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Roadblocks → disrupt → supplies
Tens of thousands marched through Lisbon on Saturday over low wages, housing costs and the rising cost of living, increasing pressure on Portugal's centre-right government.
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thousands → march → government
In Spain, the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home sparked nationwide demonstrations over housing shortages and soaring rents, helping trigger a snap election next month.
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eviction → spark → month
Belgium has also seen demonstrations, while large rallies in Albania have been driven by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
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rallies → see → jobs
The protests reflect broader economic anxieties that are increasingly shaping politics across the continent.
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that → reflect → continent
Concerns about purchasing power have become "a major driver of populist politics" across Europe, said Gilles Ivaldi, a political scientist at Sciences Po.
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Ivaldi → purchase → Po
Politicians on both the hard right and hard left have increasingly argued that restoring energy ties with Russia would help lower costs, challenging Europe's mainstream consensus on support for Ukraine.
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restoring → argue → Ukraine
LE PEN MAKES FUEL PRICES A CAMPAIGN ISSUE
The latest energy shock comes after years of economic strain following the pandemic and the fallout from Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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shock → make → Ukraine
In France, rising energy costs have provided an explosive backdrop to next April's presidential election.
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costs → rise → election
Macron's government is struggling with a ballooning budget deficit and pressure from bond markets.
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government → struggle → markets
Frontrunner Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally and hard-left veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon have both made fuel prices central planks in their campaigns.
“Rising fuel prices are clearly an issue that boosts Marine Le Pen,” said Ivaldi.
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Ivaldi → make → Pen
“I think this is an issue she has owned for quite some time."
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she → think → time
Since the Iran war began, Le Pen's ratings have improved while Macron's have slipped, according to polling by Elabe.
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Macron → begin → Elabe
Le Pen's proposal to sharply cut value-added tax on fuel has attracted broad public support.
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proposal → cut → support
Analysts say the issue resonates strongly with her core voters in rural and semi-rural areas where car travel is often essential.
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travel → say → areas
CALLS TO RESTORE RUSSIA TIES
In neighbouring Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is leading national opinion polls after strong gains in local elections.
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Alternative → restore → elections
The cost of living topped Germans' concerns for a fifth straight year in a survey published this month.
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cost → top → survey
German inflation spiked to nearly a three-year high in September, with energy price inflation rising to 14.9%, handing ammunition to the AfD to attack Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
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inflation → spike → Merz
The AfD is pushing to restore energy ties with Russia, arguing that Berlin’s support for Ukraine is needlessly self-sabotaging at a time when Europe’s largest economy and many of its energy-hungry companies are struggling.
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support → push → companies
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
