Citizens also protested assistance to Ukraine.
QUICK FACTS:
- Thousands of enraged French protesters have assembled in Paris to demand their nation leave the NATO military alliance, which is led by the United States.
- Additionally, the protesters have demanded that President Emmanuel Macron step down.
- Protesters have stood against the supply of arms by NATO members, during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Eastern Europe that has stretched well into October and started in February of 2022.
- Even a group of French intellectuals, including Nobel literature prize winner Annie Ernaux, urged citizens to join the protests, largely due to frustration with Macron.
- The intellectuals accused Macron of not doing enough to assist French citizens when he does give assistance to major corporations.
- Similar protests have gathered across Europe in opposition to government support of NATO and the war in Ukraine.
LETTER OUTLINING REASONS FOR PROTESTS AGAINST MACRON:
- “Emmanuel Macron is using inflation to widen the wealth gap, to boost capital income at the expense of the rest,” the group of 69 signatories, including writers, film directors, and university teachers, said in a text published in the Journal Du Dimanche. “It is all a matter of political will,” said the text, co-signed by Ernaux, who on Thursday became the first French woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
- The letter went on to say that the government has not done enough to cope with energy prices and rises in taxes, all while allowing companies to make windfall profits.
- The main reason for the increase in inflation in France is the war in Ukraine, according to the letter. This problem added stress to French citizens as their government puts food checks and subsidies on gas prices.
BACKGROUND:
- The Czech people have engaged in similar demonstrations against their government, rallying in reaction to the energy crisis in Prague and the Czech Republic.
- Reportedly, tens of thousands of Czech people have gathered in Prague to protest both energy problems, the country’s membership in NATO, and the Europian Union as well as a drastic increase in prices.
