European cost-of-living crisis leads to protests in Germany and Italy • FRANCE 24 English

Pressure is piling on European governments as energy prices continue to soar. After Russia said it wouldn't deliver gas on its Nord Stream 1 pipeline until Western sanctions are lifted, Portugal announced a new support programme for households and Austria's chancellor presented a price cap on electricity. Pressure is also coming from the streets, with protests against rising prices in Germany and Italy. Plus, we look at sliced white bread's unlikely comeback in the UK.

[anonanon]

I'm surprised Russia waited this long to shut the taps considering the circumstances.

[goletra]

Can you really put a price cap on something you can't have?

[spartacusforlife]

Strange we are not seeing these protests on u.k. news

[harashylander]

The foreign policy should be always in favour of the citizens of the country and not against 🌸🌺🍀🤝😑

[josephpuentes]

You reap what you sow. . . Or rather, the people reap what their leaders sow

[nessuno]

Not yet, not yet. When the living will be really hard, our beloved governors will use police and army.

[missourimongoose]

I can't wait to watch the new revolution in france

[WhereIsTheSpartan]

Great to hear that big companies are making excessive profits and squeezing their customers again. But no matter, if they made losses than the taxpayers are held accountable for that losses as well.

[islandlife]

The German father told his young son as he was about to use the shower " only use cold water.'' " Why ?'' asked the child. '' Because of the sanctions to punish Russia " replied the Father. The youngster thought for a moment & then asked " are we Russians ???''

[exbritishforcespatriotscha]

The people of the world need to unite and take out these corrupt Governments and companies.

[Justmyopinionlol]

EU chose to fight a war with Russia and now complains. But what really angers me is my country sending so much money to Ukraine and to the EU for both defense and assistance when the EU itself is rich enough to take care of its own problems.

[dsartain]

I support the protesters- European leaders should be seeking diplomatic solutions not fuelling even more fighting. Do what you were elected to do!

[chrisbouris]

the same in France, but they don't present it anywhere because France24, like all neoliberal corporate media, supports Macron.

[a.w]

Russia have every right tk do this. We, the west, fund ukraine. Its tit for tat.

[neighborhoodtroll]

First world nations facing 3rd world issues

[christryst]

"We don't want to pay for their war and crisis". Well said. Sign a peace treaty in the Ukraine and the problem is solved overnight. It's almost as if people want war.

[robertsmith]

So, in Europe the way to fight inflation is to put more money into the circulation in order to help citizens to pay for increased costs.

[Mariobrownio]

Leaders of both sides still live in luxury, while citizens on both sides suffer

[stenyethanmathews]

If you think this is bad just wait a few more months. There will be a new meaning to eat the rich.

[r-g]

This is how a system completely derails:

The original goals of European cooperation were to enhance prosperity for its member states by efficiently managing the production and trade of energy and steel. For this purpose, the European Community for Steel and Coal (ECSC, 1951) and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom, 1958) were established by France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. These organisations were the predecessors of what we now call the EU.

Instead of implementing energy policies to foster prosperity for its people in the member states, the EU appears to have forgotten completely about its goals. Instead, they are nowadays implementing energy policies against its people, i.e. to destroy prosperity, to put a ban on conventional energy supplies without the availability of any reasonable alternative, and to assure that the cost of energy, housing and food becomes virtually unaffordable.

When a system or organisation derails so much that nothing of its original mission is visible anymore, even stronger when the current goals are opposing its original goals a 180 degrees, it is time to dismantle it. I believe we now have gotten very close to that point.