- Protesters demand lower inflation, switching off nuclear power and more energy subsidies for the poor.
- German’s inflation hit 10.9%, the highest level in more than a quarter of a century, due to higher energy costs.
On Saturday, tens of thousands protested in six German cities to demand the government’s solution to rising energy prices and living costs. The protesters marched in Hannover, Dresden, Stuttgart, Duesseldorf, Berlin, and Frankfurt-am-Main, demanding more equitable government funds to deal with the soaring energy prices and calling for a faster transition away from fossil fuels.
According to one of the organizers, Greenpeace, about 24,000 protesters gathered in Berlin. Andrea Kocsis, deputy chair of ver.di, one of the organizers of the protests, said, “We want to show that we urgently need financial relief for citizens that is socially balanced. The government is doing a lot, but it is distributing funds with a watering can. People with lower income need more support than the wealthy”.
In September, German’s inflation hit 10.9%, the highest level in more than a quarter of a century due to higher energy costs. A protester in Berlin, Ulrich Franz, said .“I would find it better if we distributed it more justly. Millionaires are saying they want to pay more taxes. I’m not seeing anything happening on that front,”. The protesters were seen holding placards and chanting slogans demanding lower inflation, switching off nuclear power and more energy subsidies for the poor.
On Friday, Germany’s parliament approved a 200 billion euro ($195 billion) rescue package to protect companies and households from soaring energy prices. The package includes a one-off payment to cover one monthly gas bill for homes and small and medium-sized businesses, as well as a mechanism to limit prices from March. This package will also finance cap electricity prices for households and industry retroactively from December for future prices and March for spot prices, with additional funding drawn from electricity companies’ profits.