Volume 1, No. 9, November 2000

Militant Actions Paralyse Europe

— Shafi

The first fortnight of September witnessed a virtual paralysis of Europe. Massive people’s actions, against the fuel price-hike by the various governments of Europe, brought life to a stand-still.

Truckers, farmers, fishermen, small businessmen and ordinary citizens joined together in numerous blockades of Europe’s oil depots against the hike in petrol/diesel prices. Strikes ruled many highways as protests reached to Spain, Germany, Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republic — from the Baltic port of Gdansk, Poland, to the Spanish coast. Though the EU ministers agreed against any roll-back, a number of governments were forced to give concessions. The British and German governments took the most aggressive posture against the strikers.

The strikes began in France and soon spread to entire Europe, with the most militant actions being in Britain. In Italy, fearing violent protests, the government withdrew its proposed hike.

From August 31st, fishermen had a 3-day blockade of French ports that resulted in the shutting down of the Channel Tunnel to vehicles. From September 4th, truckers blocked exits from the Euro tunnel in Calais and also major highways. Truck drivers blocked Nice port on the French Riviera. They blockaded 60 out of the country’s major oil refineries and depots. Protesters also disrupted high speed train services from Bordeaux in the south west, setting fire to palettes and hay-bales, on a stretch of track, thereby forcing dozens of trains to be delayed, before the lines were cleared. By September 12th the French government, to diffuse the discontent, granted minor tax cuts of 15% to the protesting truckers and farmers. But, even though some withdrew the blockade others vowed to carry on. There continued to be scattered protests by driving-school owners, ambulance drivers and shop-keepers, who put up road blocks even after the truckers called off their blockade.

Britain faced the worst fuel crisis in 25 years. Truckers and farmers blockaded all the refineries and fuel depots of Britain. By September 12 about half of Britain’s 13,000 petrol pumps went dry. There was a nationwide panic. Rubbish went uncollected, hospitals cancelled non-emergency services and super markets said food stuffs may not reach their stores. Post offices stopped delivering mail. By September 15, more than 150 schools closed and foodstuffs began running out at the supermarket stores. Stores began issuing lay-off notices to their staff. Trains were also cancelled for lack of fuel. There was a powerful unity of truckers, small businessmen, farmers unions, motorists, etc.

On September 12, Prime Minister, Blair, rushed back to London to discuss invoking an Emergency. Within three days he called three press conferences, issuing threats to the protesters. Though the government has been making windfall profits on the sale of petrol he refused any roll back whatsoever. In London, on September 13, scores of trucks were stopped by the police as the drivers tried to converge on parliament. Invoking its Emergency powers the government called out the Army, and under heavy police escort, 80 military tankers transported some petrol/diesel to the pumps. Finally, bowing to government threats the blockade was lifted.

The so-called Labour government thereby proved its rightest credentials to big business. It proved that it could out do the Conservatives in its reactionary essence and in its anti-people pro-big business policies. Though Britain is the only EU country that produces the bulk of its own fuel (off-shore oil and gas) and has the cheapest crude oil, its petrol is one of the most expensive in Europe, due to a 76% tax. In fact, the rise in international prices of crude oil, has given the British government extra profits estimated at $5.7 billion per year. Yet, it was not prepared to reduce the tax !!

On September 8, the main freight federation held a protest march in Brussels. The largest protests were on September 14 in Brussels, where truckers, tour-bus operators, and taxi drivers brought the city to a virtual halt, by parking their vehicles across streets and driving slowly. They brought traffic to a stand-still and forced business and schools to close. They parked vehicles across city boulevards, motorways and frontier crossings into Germany, France and Netherlands causing traffic chaos. Hundreds of petrol pumps went dry as oil depots and refineries were halted by blockades. Truckers barricaded the largest refinery in South Belgium, near Charleroi. They also blockaded the main Antwerp port and brought it to a standstill.

An estimated one lakh farmers drove tractors through Madrid and dozens of other Spanish cities, warning of more aggressive action, if there was no agreement to compensate them for the higher cost of fuel. One of the biggest demonstrations was in Serville, where about 4,000 tractors blockaded all the main access routes to the city. Protests and demonstrations spread to 34 provinces of the country. In Barcelona, fishermen who staged a port blockade, warned of more protests. An oil-consumer’s group, representing farmers, truckers, fishermen and lorry drivers, called for a boycott of the main petrol company, Repsol.

Blockades spread throughout the country. On September 15, truckers, with horns blowing, drove at snails pace through Hanover and other towns, paralysing traffic. Also, 3000 trucks, taxis and buses, blowing horns in unison, circled Hamburg’s inner-ring road. In spite of the inconvenience caused to the public, an opinion poll showed 70% of the people supported the actions. But, the ‘socialist’ Interior Minister, threatened that he would use federal border patrol officers to clear any ‘illegal’ blockades. Also, the German government viciously attacked other European governments who had caved into the demand for fuel tax cuts.

Angry truckers and farmers in Sweden, blocked transit to harbours, rail terminals and fuel depots. Gothenburg’s port was paralysed. Rail freight terminals were blocked in the capital city of Stockholm, and also in Malmoe, Sweden’s third biggest city.

In Finland, the government announced a cut in road taxes for truckers, after they began sporadic blockades of highways. Norwegian truckers threatened strikes. Though Norway is the second largest oil exporting country in the world, its prices are the highest in Europe. In Denmark, about 1,100 truckers threatened action if talks with the government failed.

In the Netherlands truckers paralysed highways with roadblocks for nearly a week. After initially refusing any subsidy to truckers, the Dutch government agreed to give taxi, bus, and trucking companies, some $300 million to compensate for high fuel prices.

In Ireland, most of the country’s fishermen tethered their boats in a 24-hour work stoppage. In Hungary, truckers threatened protests but the government agreed to postpone a 6% increase in excise taxes. Even in Israel truckers launched a slowdown and paralysed roads to Tel Aviv, Israel’s main commercial centre; to demand a roll back in the 13% rise in diesel and petrol prices.

The rulers of the various European countries, blamed the hike in fuel prices on the rise in the international prices of crude oil. But this hoax was soon blown by the masses who showed that the bulk of the fuel prices comprised taxes and not the cost of the fuel. In fact in the major European countries, in the total cost of the fuel, the percentage of tax varies from 65% to 76%. The tax content in the fuel prices is 70% in Norway, 76% in UK, 70% in France, 69% in Germany, 66% in Belgium, 65% in the Netherlands, 64% in Italy, 66% in Sweden, 66% in Finland and 58% in Spain. The price varies from $2.8 per gallon in Spain to $ 4.3 in Norway. This is a method by which the rulers of these countries squeeze the maximum out of the masses through a high tax on this basic necessity.

Also, the governments have justified high taxes on environmental grounds, to supposedly discourage consumption of fuel. This is yet another hoax promoted by the Greens Party and the social democrats, to justify the exploitation of the masses through a high tax burden. With the existing lifestyles set by the bourgeois system, it is absurd to think that fuel consumption will go down. For example, a bad and expensive public transport system encourages families to use private cars. So, it is not surprising that global consumption has steadily increased from 60 million barrels per day (bpd) to 69 million bpd in 1995 and about 75 million bpd in 2000.

On September 9, the EU finance ministers held a special emergency meeting in France. At this meeting a decision was arrived to jointly reject tax cuts. The EU clearly came out as an association of big business against the people of Europe. But the militant actions and the fear of greater militancy, forced many governments to announce minor concessions. Most of the concessions announced were targeted at particular striking sections and not for the masses at large. But as these movements are mostly spontaneous and seeped in economism they withdrew their struggles, notwithstanding the fact that the increased burden will still have to be borne by the masses at large..... though some sections got some relief.

The simmering discontent is bound to explode in the future. But it is only a genuine proletarian party, that can lead this discontent in a revolutionary direction, away from compromise and capitulation. And even if a compromise must be struck, it must benefit the masses at large, not just the most vocal section amongst them. No doubt, the lessons of these past struggles, will create the seeds of a new revolutionary awakening. What the present struggles have shown is the ease at which the rulers of mighty Europe can be brought to their knees, in the face of united militant actions by its people.

<Top>