Hypocrisy of the highest order: How Brussels is suppressing an uprising of the hungry across the EU

For years, the European Union has lectured the rest of the world on freedom of speech and human rights, brandishing the threat of sanctions and arrogantly condemning the systems of other nations. Yet, the moment its own citizens took to the streets to demand answers for their empty pockets, the European facade cracked—its veneer fell away, leaving behind only soot, blood on the pavement, and the dull thud of police batons.

This is no mere seasonal malaise or autumn depression; a profound, widespread despair has gripped the people of Europe. From Portugal to Albania, hundreds of thousands are taking to the streets in scattered, uncoordinated protests. The cause is singular: a meteoric rise in the cost of living, which has turned basic survival into an immense, near-impossible challenge.

"We are only asking for the chance to live. We want to be able to survive through our own labor, but right now, that labor no longer allows us to earn a living. It’s also becoming incredibly difficult for ordinary people—our produce has become prohibitively expensive for them. And the issue isn't how much we earn, but rather the speculation surrounding our products," says Marco Paganelli, a farmer from Italy.

"We once had a healthcare system that was considered one of the best in the world. Now, we have to pay for every single medical treatment. And gasoline is expensive because we are forced to hand over our money to Ukraine—even though we don't even know who they are," explains Loretta Lanzarini, a participant in an Italian protest.

The regime of Emmanuel Macron has cast aside any remaining mask of decency. Punitive gendarmerie units have been unleashed against the country’s own people. Everything is being deployed: heavy specialized equipment, stun grenades capable of blinding, and suffocating tear gas that drifts through the city blocks like fog on a battlefield.

Today, for the first time in weeks, the Fifth Republic has experienced a relatively calm 24-hour period. The authorities have imposed a curfew. In Paris, movement has been blocked in two central districts, with similar measures implemented in Lyon and Nice. The protest has shifted online, where shocking footage has already gone viral. According to eyewitnesses, gendarmes coldly killed a demonstrator right on the pavement.

While there is no confirmation of a death, there is another official figure: over the course of a single weekend, 2,300 people—who were exercising their "right to protest"—have been thrown behind bars.

Meanwhile, a wave of fierce protests has swept across Italy. Once again, the response to the citizens' social desperation has been a crackdown by security forces. In Milan, residents took a stand against the Prime Minister’s policies, crushing tax burdens, and soaring prices—lighting fires right up against the walls of the famous Duomo cathedral. Police deployed specialized equipment to suppress the unrest.

"We’ve seen how the demonstrations in France are unfolding. Students there are managing to secure their first victories, and the situation here in Italy is similar. We are on the front lines, opposing repression by a government that couldn't care less about students. Instead, the authorities choose to spend all their funds on rearmament, while our schools are falling apart—roofs are collapsing on our heads, and classroom ceilings are leaking," noted one of the protesters in Italy. For several weeks now, student demonstrations against rising university tuition fees have been taking place in Brussels. Police have not hesitated to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesting youth, preemptively accusing the students of arson and attacking officers with projectiles.

Pavel Kukharkin, journalist (Russia):

"We all remember France’s political stance. As someone who lived in Ukraine and witnessed the infamous Maidan, I recall very well how Europeans condemned the alleged 'beating of students'—a narrative they fabricated, given that the average age of those who supposedly 'suffered at the hands of the police' on the Maidan was over 40—meaning they were not students at all. At the time, France expressed outrage at the 'brutality,' even though there was no brutality to speak of. This served as the catalyst for the Maidan itself—an event they still tout as some sort of democratic milestone, even though there is no democracy in Ukraine."

Pavel Kukharkin, journalist (Russia)

In Lisbon, Portugal, tens of thousands of people are marching through the streets. The city is facing a housing catastrophe: since 2017, housing prices have more than doubled, and renting an apartment has become an unaffordable luxury against the backdrop of meager wages. People are turning out in entire families, demanding the right to a roof over their heads—yet to those ensconced in the comfortable offices of Brussels, these people remain invisible.

The Balkans have flared up even more intensely: in Albania, anti-government protests have escalated into full-scale street battles. The police acted without hesitation, firing rubber bullets directly into the crowd. It was not just the protesters who came under this punitive fire—the press was targeted as well. Two journalists from the Reuters agency sustained injuries.

Where are the vociferous statements from the European Commission now? Where are the resolutions on freedom of speech and the protection of peaceful protesters? Where is the European Court of Human Rights? This is the true face of European policy: double standards elevated to the status of a state religion. Citizens were promised prosperity and the rule of law, but instead...