Afrasianet - Laila Nicola - The general situation in France is not much different from the economic and social conditions in Europe, although it has taken a more violent turn in France, and has led to massive demonstrations.

As soon as the demonstrations in France, due to the refusal to reform the retirement system approved by the government of French President Emmanuel Macron, subsided, a new wave of violence began against the background of the French police killing a teenager and the spread of a video showing that they killed him without there being a need for that, as the life of the policeman was not threatened. .

In previous years, France witnessed major demonstrations known as the "yellow vests", which emerged after the government imposed an additional tax on fuel to finance the treasury deficit, despite the economic difficulties experienced by the poor and middle classes.

An opinion poll, the results of which were published last April, indicated that more than 70% of the French are dissatisfied with Macron’s performance, whose popularity is approaching its lowest levels, and only about 26% of the participants expressed their satisfaction with his performance, down two points compared to a similar poll in March 2023.

Realistically, the general situation in France is not much different from the economic and social conditions in Europe, although it has taken a more violent turn in France, and has led to massive demonstrations, while other European cities seem calmer, but the scene of European calm seems like fire under the ashes.

The spark of his explosion is not known, and the following is hidden under it:

Socioeconomic crisis The global economy in general, and the European economy in particular, suffered from the repercussions of the closure imposed by the Corona pandemic, then the Ukrainian war came to impose difficulties of another kind on Europeans, who suffered due to high electricity and energy prices, high food prices, and unprecedented inflation that prompted central banks to Raise interest rates to curb it, which could lead to stagflation in the coming years.

There is no doubt that the poor and middle classes are the most affected by these repercussions, as fixed basic expenses deduct the largest part of salaries, which makes them tend to protest voting (to the extreme right), or to go out in demonstrations against the authority, or otherwise.

In a parallel trend, many farmers across Europe are suspicious, as they see that EU policies want to impoverish and starve them, considering that "the EU bureaucrats started in the Netherlands, and they will come to them later."

Farmers have been demonstrating in the Netherlands for months, after government decisions were issued supported by European Union institutions seeking to force them to sell their lands, reduce the number of livestock they own by 30%, and voluntarily close their farms (in exchange for a financial allowance), to reduce nitrogen emissions and fulfill the European Union’s mandate regarding Climate goals. defense spending The Ukrainian war and NATO's policy forced the Europeans to increase defense spending, finance the Ukrainian war, and supply Ukraine with military aid, money, and other things, which means a major increase in defense spending that the European continent has not known since World War II.

There is no doubt that the Europeans' commitment to defense spending that touches the threshold of 2% of the national product - as stipulated in the NATO treaty - will deprive the national coffers of important financial resources that could have been spent on public services to improve the standard of living of the population of the middle and poor classes, and will undermine the ability to spend on other sectors. such as health, education and the like.

The rise of populism The West, in general, suffers from a societal and political division centered around values, freedoms, ideals, and others. On the one hand, there is the far right, whose shares are rising dramatically, and which focuses on immigration, as one of the worst disasters in Europe.

This current holds the successive European authorities responsible for opening the door to immigration, especially from the Middle East and Africa, and holds immigrants responsible for the economic and social crises, and warns of "the danger of changing the civilized face of Europe," and warns of the loss of European identity.

On the other hand, left-wing liberal populism aims to perpetuate homosexuality and change sex, but finds rejection from the right and many religious groups, which creates sharp societal divisions.

As a result, European peoples and governments are living today under the impact of the international conflict in Ukraine, which could spread to other places and continue for years.

In this context, it seems preferable to the Europeans for the Ukrainian war to end quickly, as the longer it lasts, the greater its repercussions will be for the European Union, and it may reach a threat to its unity.