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.
asserted
tractors → roll → times
But the farmers are not bringing in a harvest.
asserted
farmers → bring → harvest
They are protesting.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
which → erupt → spending
The discontent has spilled onto the streets.
asserted
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.
“Why am I here?
asserted
I → begin → fire
Well, quite simply, I find the current cost of living truly terrifying,” said Quentin Leviloux, a 21-year-old protester in Nantes.
asserted
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.
asserted
you → think → food
Its terrifying how incredibly expensive things have become.”
asserted
things → it → ?
The European Commission estimates the Iran conflict has cost Europe roughly 100 billion ($112 billion) through disrupted trade and energy markets.
asserted
conflict → estimate → trade
Gas prices have jumped about 140 per cent and diesel prices have doubled.
asserted
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.
asserted
Macron → acknowledge → violence
“We must never confuse them with those who destroyed, vandalised and looted,” he said.
asserted
he → confuse → those
Protests erupt across Europe
Violence has also erupted elsewhere.
asserted
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.
asserted
protesters → clash → services
In Gela, on Sicily’s southern coast, farmers say fuel costs have made operating machinery prohibitively expensive.
asserted
operating → say → machinery
“We cultivate the land, we harvest debts,” said one banner.
asserted
banner → cultivate → debts
“We are completely at a standstill,” said Arcangelo Gambino, a farmers’ representative in Caltanissetta province.
asserted
Gambino → say → province
“The (fuel) cost has more than doubled.”
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
eviction → spark → election
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.
asserted
rallies → see → jobs
The protests reflect broader economic anxieties that are increasingly shaping politics across the continent.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
shock → make → Ukraine
In France, rising energy costs have provided an explosive backdrop to next April’s presidential election.
asserted
costs → rise → election
Macron’s government is struggling with a ballooning budget deficit and pressure from bond markets.
asserted
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.
asserted
prices → make → campaigns
Rising fuel prices are clearly an issue that boosts Marine Le Pen, said Ivaldi.
asserted
Ivaldi → rise → Pen
I think this is an issue she has owned for quite some time.”
asserted
she → think → time
Since the Iran war began, Le Pen’s ratings have improved while Macron’s have slipped, according to polling by Elabe.
uncertain
Macron → begin → Elabe
Le Pen’s proposal to sharply cut value-added tax on fuel has attracted broad public support.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
Alternative → restore → elections
The cost of living topped Germans’ concerns for a fifth straight year in a survey published this month.
asserted
cost → top → survey
German inflation spiked to nearly a three-year high in September, with energy price inflation rising to 14.9pc, handing ammunition to the AfD to attack Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
asserted
inflation → spike → Merz
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
