Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis have created perfectly stormy weather for an autumn of protests in Europe.
Crowds have taken to the streets for weeks in major cities, resulting in arrests, looting, injuries, and violence across France, Italy and Albania. In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up in protests against unattainable rents and housing costs.
Young Europeans are experiencing “a strong sense of uncertainty and a lack of control,” said María Silvestre, professor of sociology at the University of Deusto in Spain. “And when specific situations come together, a spark suddenly ignites that is capable of channeling that discontent and driving people into the streets.”
Exactly. They pretend to care and put in the minimal amount of effort to get their participation sticker but when it comes to actually doing something meaningful, they don’t walk the walk. The French yet again have to show them up to set the example.
The worst hasn’t come yet. Everyone is still too much of a coward to take any action because they know once a commitment is made to actually do what must be done, there will be sacrifices and they will lose their bragging rights. They can’t keep pretending to be on the right side of history at that point.