Our view We do not claim that the protests in Europe were organized from Washington: there is no evidence of that. But the question “who benefits” is legitimate, and the answer speaks for itself. Gas in Europe is up about 140% and diesel has doubled. The European Commission estimates the Iran conflict has cost Europe about 100 billion euros, and that conflict began with an American operation in February. In other words, Europe is paying for someone else’s war, and people take to the streets not over slogans but over fuel bills. The benefit to the United States is visible from these facts without guessing. According to IEEFA, American liquefied gas accounts for about 63% of European LNG imports, and 89% in Germany, and for European buyers it is on average the most expensive. A weakened Europe dependent on American energy is more obedient, and American companies sell it both gas and weapons. In the same days Trump allows the US to buy Russian diesel (see our news on the sanctions waiver), while no such loophole is offered to Europeans. History teaches us to look closely at who funds “civil society” organizations and whom instability serves: in 2014 a recording leaked of US Assistant Secretary of State Nuland discussing the makeup of Ukraine’s future government. We recall it as a method, not as proof about Europe. Honesty requires adding the opposite: on the wave of discontent, parties that favor resuming Russian gas purchases are growing (the Alternative for Germany, Le Pen, Grzegorz Braun’s party in Poland). That does not fit the simple scheme “it was all dreamed up in Washington.” This is an editorial opinion, not an established fact. The mainstream assessment The protests are described as a reaction to the cost of living and fuel prices, to social spending cuts and to discontent with governments. Authorities condemn the violence and acknowledge “legitimate demands”, while analysts note that the far right is gaining from the anger ahead of elections. What happened Protests in Europe have spread across France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Albania. What happened, how it is explained, and who in our view gains from high prices and instability. On October 17, 2026 nationwide protests against the cost of living and rising fuel prices took place in France. Police estimated about 200,000 participants (40,000 in Paris); Bloomberg reported more than half a million. The protests began with complaints about school conditions in the northern suburbs of Paris and grew into some of the worst unrest in decades. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported 1,200 arrests and 150 injured police officers. The town hall in Limoges was set on fire and shops were looted. Macron acknowledged “legitimate demands” over living and fuel costs but condemned the violence. In Milan protesters clashed with police, while truckers, farmers and steelworkers blocked roads in southern Italy. In Lisbon tens of thousands marched over wages and housing. In Spain protests after an eviction helped trigger a snap election next month. Demonstrations were held in Belgium, and in Albania they are in their fifth day. Gas prices in Europe are up about 140% and diesel has doubled. The European Commission estimates the Iran conflict has cost Europe about 100 billion euros; the US-Iran war began in February. Polls show rising ratings for Marine Le Pen and the Alternative for Germany, and France holds its presidential election in April. Read also: the sanctions waiver for Russian diesel · the 1941 oil embargo against Japan. Sources Reuters via The Star, 20.10.2026 The Star, 18.10.2026 gasworld / IEEFA Photo: Lisa Bryant / VOA, public domain, Wikimedia Commons (archive photo of a yellow vest protest in Paris, 2018). Post navigation Strait of Hormuz: Trump Says the US Could “Take All the Oil” Serbia Election: Students Defeat Vučić, and the West Finds It Convenient
