Fuel price anger adds to European protests as far-right parties press their case
Rising energy costs are squeezing households and businesses across Europe. Reuters reports that far-right parties are making fuel prices a campaign issue as protests draw on wider grievances.
Rising fuel prices are squeezing households and businesses across Europe, Reuters reported on 20 October 2026, as protests in France and Italy and election campaigns put energy costs at the centre of political debate. An Associated Press account of the unrest also identified housing, schools and public services as sources of anger.
Reuters linked the sharp rise in energy prices to the US-Iran war, which it said began in February. It assessed that the resulting cost-of-living pressure was giving far-right parties fresh momentum ahead of elections next year in France, Italy and Poland. The report did not quantify an electoral effect.
Fuel costs disrupt transport in southern Italy
In Gela, Sicily, farmers brought tractors into town to protest. Reuters quoted Arcangelo Gambino, a farmers’ representative in Caltanissetta province, saying: ‘We are completely at a standstill.’ He said fuel costs had more than doubled, though the comparison period was unclear.
Roadblocks by truckers, farmers and steelworkers disrupted transport in parts of southern Italy, Reuters reported. The disruptions contributed to local fuel shortages and concerns about supermarket supplies, extending the effect of higher energy costs beyond motorists and farmers.
French unrest and the election debate
AP reported 2,400 arrests during a weekend of unrest in France, alongside hundreds of thousands of peaceful marchers. It described looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux, and fires at Limoges city hall and some schools. President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence in a televised address on 18 October, saying those responsible for looting and attacks on the republic would be held accountable.
The grievances extend beyond fuel. AP reported protests over school conditions, declining public services and housing costs across Europe. Teachers in Madrid began an indefinite strike over pay and working conditions, while tent camps appeared during housing protests in Spain and Portugal.
In France, Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally and hard-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon have both made fuel prices central to their campaigns, Reuters reported. Reuters quoted political scientist Ivaldi as saying higher fuel prices are an issue that helps Le Pen. That is his assessment of the campaign, rather than a measured change in voter support.
In Italy, National Future, led by Roberto Vannacci, advocates restoring gas links with Russia, Reuters reported. It also described concern over energy bills as helping support Poland’s far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown. The parties’ positions place energy costs within election debates as governments face pressure over household budgets and business costs.
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Sources and context
- Anger at rising fuel prices bolsters Europe's far right as unrest sweeps FranceFrance 24 (Reuters)
- From France to Albania, how social unrest is fueling protests across EuropePBS NewsHour (Associated Press)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.