Western sanctions against Russia have been considered a powerful foreign policy tool by the US and the EU to paralyze Moscow back to the ‘stone age.’ Though sanctions against Moscow have entirely backfired, sparking the worst cost-of-living crisis for Europeans in a generation.
In early September, we first noticed a wave of discontent sweeping across Europe as tens of thousands of people took to the city streets to protest soaring electricity bills and the worst inflation in decades. Some countries delivered relief packages to citizens to tame the anger, while other countries did not have the financial capacity to hand out checks.
Tens of thousands of people have marched across metro areas in France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Germany — many of them are fed up with sanctions on Russia that have sparked economic ruins for many households and businesses — but also very surprising, support for NATO’s involvement in Ukraine is waning.
Here are the latest protests across Europe of tens of thousands of people (if not more) frustrated with high inflation and crying out anti-NATO slogans.
Otra multitudinaria Manifestación sucedió hoy en Francia 🇫🇷.
— Pedro la Rosa (@Pedrola51624238) October 23, 2022
"Let's get out of NATO!"
Another massive protest against NATO and the EU on the streets of Paris, France today. pic.twitter.com/1CRwhzBhzx
https://twitter.com/AxelLeReer/status/1583877250419605504
https://twitter.com/Ukraine66251776/status/1586080828622503936
https://twitter.com/China_News12/status/1586382062902448129
Mass protest in Prague, for Peace, elections and the right not to freeze for NATO. https://t.co/4SuAfzHnvz
— Caractacus Mann (@CaractacusMann) October 29, 2022
🧵Thread of protests that are erupting all over Europe against EU, NATO, inflation, politicians, governmental control, arm sales, etc about which mainstream media is completely silent 🧵 pic.twitter.com/U8BK2veelm
— mohamed.emam (@mohamed42811653) October 26, 2022
Thousands of Germans in Dresden to end sanctions on Russia, they want to remain neutral. Europeans don't want to starve and freeze for Zelensky and Ursula von der Leyen. EU media censor these demonstrations, they want war. pic.twitter.com/Lio07Yx8NG
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) October 30, 2022
Post by Juan Sinmiedo on telegram. Rome, Italian's protest Nato and their sanctions on Russia pic.twitter.com/sWUxnbGN0B
— Monet Van Gough (@GoughMonet) October 30, 2022
Germany 🇩🇪 HAMBURG Peace and Freedom Demonstration 🔥🔥🔥 in Protest against the Governments Restrictions, Mandates, Anti-NATO, Inflations cost of Living and Energy (29/10/2022) pic.twitter.com/EMcEruW9Ww
— khafi martinaz (@usera49) October 29, 2022
WSJ pointed out that a majority of Germans strongly support Kyiv and Russia policy of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, though the popularity of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has been increasing as they benefited from the souring mood of the people who have been crushed into energy poverty. AfD has called for the lift of sanctions against Russia. Their popularity has risen from 10% to 15% in 9 months.
“This is merely the silence before the storm—the discontent is great, and people do not have any sense that the government has a plausible strategy to master the crisis,” said Manfred Güllner, head of Forsa, a pollster.
Worse, the sanctions have sparked a further weakening of the economy where a recession might not be avoided this winter. Efforts by the European Central Bank to rapidly tighten its monetary policy and increase interest rates to quell inflation also have their risks.