Europe is now looking at the possibility of “social unrest” should the continent be hit with a cold winter this year, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has now warned.
“Social unrest” is now very much a possibility in Europe this winter over the continent’s dire energy and economic situation, with the head of the IMF warning on Wednesday that a cold winter could be what puts the continent over the edge.
It is only the latest of many warnings that the continent now faces societal instability, with commentators in England, France, and Germany all expressing fears that the public could lose patience if they are left unable to heat their homes over the coming months.
According to a report by Reuters, Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the IMF, has now voiced similar fears, with the economics expert warning that the current situation is already “horrible”.
“There is certainly fear of recession in some countries, or even if it is not recession, that it would feel like recession this winter,” the economics tsar said.
“And if Mother Nature decides not to cooperate, and the winter is actually harsh, that could lead to some social unrest,” she warned.
The Bulgarian economist remarked that it was now up to the European Central Bank (ECB) to manage the fallout, with the European Union entity now needing to take action to fight rampant inflation while also keeping in mind “the necessity to keep the economy going”.
The IMF bigwig is the latest of many officials to warn that Europe is currently facing a rough winter that could be filled with instability and social unrest should the general public be left in the lurch by energy and economic problems caused by climate policy and the Ukraine war.
For example, French president Emmanuel Macron has now repeatedly urged his population to stay calm and cooperative as the country approaches what he calls the “end of abundance”, with the head of state emphasising the importance that citizens remain compliant as he continues pushing his various green and social agendas.
Authorities in Germany have taken a much more combative approach, with one official lambasting parts of the population who are looking to resist the German government’s extremely poor decision-making as “enemies of the state”, while others have warned that elements of the German right are going to hijack anti-government protests to achieve their own nefarious goals, such as succeeding in elections.
In particular, one bigwig tasked with maintaining the integrity of modern German democracy complained that those on the right were getting better at addressing the concerns of everyday citizens, something he apparently believes is a bad thing to happen within a functioning democracy.
Meanwhile, the head of one major trade union in the United Kingdom has said that sentiment in the country is now similar to sentiment during the poll tax riots, which occurred in the early 1990s in response to a levy brought in by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
“I actually think there is a moment where people could rise to doing exactly the same thing again,” Unite trade union head Sharon Graham said, emphasising that she had not a “shadow of a doubt” that tensions have gotten as least as bad as they were back then.