Tens of thousands of protesters in six German cities rallied on Saturday to demand a fairer distribution of government funds to deal with rising energy prices and the cost of living and a faster transition from fossil fuels.
Protesters marched in Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hannover, Stuttgart, Dresden and Frankfurt-am-Main, holding placards with slogans on everything from reducing inflation to turning off nuclear power and more energy price subsidies for the poor.
About 24,000 people participated, according to Greenpeace, one of the organizers. Police said about 1,800 protesters had gathered in Berlin.
“We want to show that we urgently need financial help for citizens who are socially balanced. The government is doing a lot, but it is distributing funds with a watering can. Low-income people need more support than the rich,” said Andrea Kocsis, vice president of ver.di, one of the unions organizing the protests.
Germany’s parliament on Friday approved the government’s €200 billion ($195 billion) rescue package, which aims to protect businesses and households from the impact of rising energy prices.
The package includes a one-time payment to cover a monthly gas bill for homes and small and medium-sized businesses and a mechanism to cap prices from March.
It will also fund a ceiling on electricity prices for households and industry retroactively from March for spot prices and December for futures prices, with additional funding obtained from utility profits.
German inflation in September hit its highest level in more than a quarter of a century at 10.9%, driven by higher energy costs.
“I would think it better if we distributed it more fairly. There are millionaires saying they want to pay more taxes. I don’t see anything happening on that front,” said Ulrich Franz, a protester in Berlin.
Source: CNN Brasil
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