President Emmanuel Macron announced France would receive an additional 200,000 tonnes in monthly diesel deliveries from the Gulf during his tour of the region Tuesday, as the Élysée attempts to quell spiraling cost-of-living protests.
Grievances fueled by high gas prices exploded into rioting across France this week, prompting Paris to deploy troops ahead of planned demonstrations Saturday. Rising fuel costs have boosted the political fortunes of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has “owned” the issue for “quite some time,” an expert told Reuters.
The crunch has energized Europe’s rightist parties who are pressuring governments in Germany, Italy, and Poland to restore energy ties with Russia: “I love the smell of Russian gas in the morning,” a Polish far-right leader said.
