Rising fuel prices spark unrest in parts of Europe

Some European countries are facing heat of public anger. High energy costs are stoking unrest in parts of Europe, with Spain deploying more than 23,000 police officers amid a truckers' strike Friday, while farmers in France and Greece snarled traffic with their protests. Russia's war in Ukraine has further pushed up costs for oil and natural gas in Europe, driving record inflation and making it ever more expensive for farmers and truckers to fuel equipment and vehicles, afford fertilizer or keep up with other costs. In Europe, which is dependent on Russian oil and natural gas, the war worsened an energy supply crunch that has driven up costs for households and businesses for months.

Thousands of demonstrators hit the streets across Spain on Saturday in protest at the soaring cost of food, light and fuel. The rallies, which took place in Spain's main cities, were called by the far-right Vox party which sought to tap into growing social discontent over the spiralling cost of living that has left many families struggling to pay their bills. Outside City Hall in Madrid, a crowd of several thousand people gathered, waving hundreds of Spanish flags and chanting angry slogans calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "We have the worst possible government.. It's not even a government, it's a misery factory... which plunders and extorts workers through abusive taxes," Vox leader Santiago Abascal told the rally to rousing cheers.Striking truckers also have been accused of throwing rocks at trucks that are still working this week, tearing cargo tarps, puncturing truck tires and threatening working drivers with violence.

In France, which has seen scattered protests this week against soaring fuel prices, a convoy of about 20 farmers on their tractors in the western Brittany region protested Friday by driving slowly down a highway and blockading a traffic circle to draw attention to their plight. French road haulers and fishing crews have set up temporary barricades in recent days, using their vehicles and burning palettes to block roads.Truckers also drove through Berlin and other German cities Friday, honking their horns to protest high fuel prices. Spain's government said it wants to hold off on taking more action on energy prices until seeing what Europe can agree to do.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesting farmers blocked traffic in central Athens to demand the government grant them additional concessions to cope with high energy costs. Holding up vegetables and black flags, the protesters, some on tractors, gathered outside the Farm Ministry and planned to head to parliament in the centre of the capital.The unrest comes as the prime ministers of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece met Friday to call for an urgent European Union-wide response to the energy crisis to come out of next week's European Council meeting in Brussels.