Without reforms, protests in Europe will only intensify: Alexander Rahr

Alexander Rahr, chairman of the Eurasian Society in Berlin, commented to Alpha News on reports of Russia’s possible involvement in the unrest in France, as well as on the causes of the protests and the prospects of their spreading to other European countries.

In the expert’s view, accusations that Russia organized the unrest are being spread by the most convinced opponents of Russia, while the protests themselves are driven by France’s internal economic and social problems.

“Some media outlets here are already starting to write that Russia, or Russian special services, or Russian trolls supposedly provoked this unrest in France. But only the most hardened Russophobes believe such a theory, and unfortunately there are enough hardened Russophobes in Europe.

I think all these clashes we see on the streets, all these protests and demonstrations, did not begin in France out of nowhere. The protest movement is much more developed there than, say, in Germany. Germans are keeping quiet for now. I would say they tolerate a lot of what is happening here in the economic and social spheres, but the French take to the streets. The social and economic situation there is much worse than in Germany.

I think people are taking to the streets partly out of despair, and partly because they simply understand that something has to change, that it is impossible to go on living the way things have developed until now. They are voicing their demands because Macron is not reacting to them at all, or is not carrying out reforms. By the way, Germany is not carrying out reforms to the extent that it should, either. People are turning to other methods of protest,” he said.

According to Rahr, if European countries fail to overcome the economic crisis and make the necessary changes, protest sentiment could grow and society could become more radical.

“I think this explains why France is indeed burning, and why these same problems, these same demonstrations, these same arson attacks and this same mood are now spreading to other European countries, so far only to the southern ones and to Belgium. But it is not yet as bad there as in France, of course. If the situation continues like this, if Europe remains in a general economic crisis and no changes are made, or there is no change of government, which many there hope for, whether to the right or to the left, I think the situation will only get worse and society will become more radical,” Rahr concluded.