Skyrocketing fuel prices spark protests around the globe

Protesters are taking to the streets around the world to voice anger about skyrocketing fuel prices and rolling blackouts, as the war in Iran drives up the cost of energy.

Oil prices climbed back above the $100 per barrel mark last week in the wake of further US strikes on Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf and reignited fighting in Yemen that threatens shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait .

For the United States, that has meant elevated gas prices and stark warnings for households that rely on heating oil to keep warm in the winter, as analysts forecast a 30% jump in prices amid the Iran war.

As the price of fuel ratchets up, so does the anger of people who can no longer afford to pay for gas, get to work, run their businesses or even carry out essential services.

In Syria, protesters burned tires on a busy highway. In Guatemala, they blocked roads to demand immediate government action. And in Portugal, local business leaders and workers marched to the prime minister’s home.

Here’s a closer look at the protests and the global impacts of sky-high energy costs:

Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters

A steep rise in fuel prices over the weekend ignited protests across Syria, marking the largest demonstrations in the country since the fall of the Assad regime two years ago.

The country’s government temporarily raised diesel prices to 175 Syrian pounds ($1.43) a liter – roughly a 40% hike – according to Syrian news agency SANA. It also raised prices for gas by more than 25%.

The Syrian Energy Ministry has said the steep price increases are due to surging global fuel prices and ongoing maintenance at the country’s largest refinery, Baniyas, which has increased its reliance on imports, SANA reported.

While dozens of protests have been peaceful, demonstrators on Sunday blocked the Hasaka–Deir ez-Zor highway, where they burned tires and stopped oil tankers, according to ACLED , a global conflict monitor.

“Fuel availability, rising prices, falling purchasing power, and poor services are all reasons that have accumulated public resentment, although demands are also shifting toward reversing decisions and removing officials, including the energy minister, showing that economic grievances are turning into grievances against the government,” said Muaz Al Abdullah, a Syria analyst at ACLED.

Video filmed by Reuters news agency from the scene of a protest in Aleppo on Sunday shows people burning tires and shouting chants criticizing the governments’ fuel hike decision.

“All those present here want a reduction in diesel prices. We don’t want higher wages, we want cheaper (fuel),” one Syrian protester, Yasser Salim, told Reuters.

Another protester, Bassam al-Ali, said: “We do not want roundabouts, every day they (the government) build a new roundabout that costs a million thousand dollars, and malls and I don’t know what … Your people were with you, is still with you now and will remain with you – but this will let things explode.”

Last week in Guatemala, groups of organized truckers and other protesters blocked highways and caused damage in various parts of the country to protest rising fuel prices, according to the Associated Press .

Other videos taken by local media show people marching peacefully through Guatemala City to demand immediate government action.

The country’s Congress is now working to address the widespread discontent through a proposed law that would cap prices until the end of the year, but the bill is still making its way through the legislative process, according to Guatemala’s national news agency AGN. If passed, it would mean that a government subsidy is paid to fuel importers if prices exceed the established cap, according to AP.

“This is an issue that must be resolved as a country. The executive, the legislative, and everyone else involved must resolve it. People cannot pay these prices and not feel the impact on their finances,” said the president of the Congress, Luis Contreras Colindres, in an address on Monday.

“Diesel is the engine that drives this country’s economy,” Contreras said, according to AGN .

Protests took place in the coastal city of Espinho, Portugal, on Saturday to protest both rising gas prices and the soaring cost of living.

About 80 people took part in that demonstration, which was organized by local business leaders and aimed at pressuring the government to find solutions, according to Portugal’s Lusa News Agency. The protesters marched until they reached the home of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in Espinho.

Erin Burnett OutFront

Iran war fuels inflation as gas prices spike, diesel hits all-time high

Meanwhile, the Portuguese Firefighters’ League (LBP) has sounded the alarm that surging fuel prices are becoming unsustainable for fire brigades and saddling volunteer organizations with costs they can’t keep up with.

On Monday, the country’s government announced a new package of measures intended to ease the fuel price crunch, according to Lusa. Those measures include support for freight transporters, taxi drivers, the fire service and the social sector, the news agency reported.

CNN’s Heather Law contributed to this report.

世界各地的抗议者走上街头，表达对燃料价格飙升和轮流停电的愤怒，因为伊朗战争推高了能源成本。

上周，由于美国进一步袭击海湾地区的伊朗油轮，以及也门战事重燃，威胁到曼德海峡的航运，油价回升至每桶 100 美元以上。

对美国而言，这意味着汽油价格上涨，依赖燃油取暖过冬的家庭也收到了严厉警告，因为分析人士预测，在伊朗战争期间，油价将上涨 30%。

随着燃油价格不断上涨，那些再也负担不起汽油费、无法上班、无法经营生意甚至无法提供基本服务的人们的愤怒情绪也与日俱增。

在叙利亚，抗议者在一条繁忙的高速公路上焚烧轮胎。在危地马拉，他们封锁道路，要求政府立即采取行动。在葡萄牙，当地商界领袖和工人游行至总理府。

让我们更深入地了解一下这些抗议活动以及能源价格飙升带来的全球影响：

马哈茂德·哈萨诺/路透社

周末期间，燃油价格大幅上涨，引发叙利亚各地抗议活动，这是自两年前阿萨德政权垮台以来该国规模最大的示威活动。

据叙利亚通讯社（SANA）报道，叙利亚政府暂时将柴油价格上调至每升175叙利亚镑（约合1.43美元），涨幅约为40%。同时，汽油价格也上调了25%以上。

据叙利亚通讯社 (SANA) 报道，叙利亚能源部表示，油价大幅上涨是由于全球燃料价格飙升以及该国最大的炼油厂巴尼亚斯正在进行维护，导致其对进口的依赖程度增加。

据全球冲突观察组织 ACLED 称，虽然数十起抗议活动都是和平的，但周日示威者封锁了哈塞克-代尔祖尔公路，焚烧轮胎并拦截油罐车。

“燃料供应不足、价格上涨、购买力下降以及服务质量差都是民众怨恨不断积聚的原因，尽管民众的要求也正在转向推翻某些决定和撤换官员，包括能源部长，这表明经济上的不满正在演变为对政府的不满，”ACLED 的叙利亚分析师穆阿兹·阿卜杜拉说道。

路透社周日在阿勒颇抗议现场拍摄的视频显示，人们焚烧轮胎，高喊口号，批评政府提高燃油价格的决定。

“所有在场的人都希望降低柴油价格。我们不想要更高的工资，我们想要更便宜的（燃料）。”一位名叫亚瑟·萨利姆的叙利亚抗议者告诉路透社。

另一名抗议者巴萨姆·阿里说：“我们不想要环岛，他们（政府）每天都在建一个新的环岛，每个环岛都要花费一百万美元，还有购物中心，我不知道还有什么……你们的人民过去支持你们，现在仍然支持你们，将来也会继续支持你们——但这会让事情失控。”

据美联社报道，上周在危地马拉，一些有组织的卡车司机和其他抗议者封锁了高速公路，并在该国各地造成了破坏，以抗议不断上涨的燃油价格。

当地媒体拍摄的其他视频显示，人们在危地马拉城举行和平游行，要求政府立即采取行动。

据危地马拉国家通讯社AGN报道，该国国会正试图通过一项法案来平息民众普遍的不满，该法案拟将油价上限设定至年底，但目前仍在立法程序中。美联社报道称，如果该法案获得通过，一旦油价超过既定上限，政府将向燃油进口商提供补贴。

“这是一个必须由国家共同解决的问题。行政部门、立法部门以及所有其他相关部门都必须解决这个问题。民众不能承受这样的代价而不感受到经济上的影响，”国会主席路易斯·孔特雷拉斯·科林德雷斯周一在讲话中说道。

据AGN报道，孔特雷拉斯表示：“柴油是推动这个国家经济发展的引擎。”

周六，葡萄牙沿海城市埃斯皮尼奥爆发抗议活动，抗议不断上涨的汽油价格和飞涨的生活成本。

据葡萄牙卢萨通讯社报道，约有80人参加了此次示威活动，活动由当地商界领袖组织，旨在向政府施压，促使其寻求解决方案。抗议者一路游行，最终抵达总理路易斯·蒙特内格罗位于埃斯皮尼奥的住所。

艾琳·伯内特 OutFront

伊朗战争加剧通货膨胀，汽油价格飙升，柴油价格创历史新高。

与此同时，葡萄牙消防员联盟 (LBP) 发出警告，不断飙升的燃料价格正变得难以承受，消防队难以为继，志愿者组织也背负着难以承受的成本。

据卢萨通讯社报道，该国政府周一宣布了一系列旨在缓解燃油价格危机的新措施。这些措施包括为货运公司、出租车司机、消防部门和社会部门提供支持。

CNN的Heather Law对本报道亦有贡献。