Communist leader Roussel urges roundabout protests over soaring energy costs
Fabien Roussel warned that if the government does not act quickly on energy prices, French citizens should gather at roundabouts and other public sites to demand relief.
During a televised appearance, Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party and presidential hopeful, urged French people to mobilise at roundabouts, prefectures, the Élysée and other seats of power if the government does not act within days on rising energy costs. He called for the immediate abolition of the energy-saving certificate that adds 15 cents to each litre of gasoline and for a cut in the fuel value-added tax.
Roussel also pressed the state to intervene with oil companies Total and Rubis, which supply fuel to Corsica, to bring down pump prices. On the same day, Socialist primary candidate Ségolène Royal argued that gasoline should not exceed €1.70 per litre and suggested reducing refinery profit margins. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon responded that the preferred approach is targeted assistance for those most in need rather than broad tax reductions. The remarks came ahead of the launch of the Fête de l’Humanité.
Why it matters
High energy prices risk sparking large-scale protests, pressuring the government to adopt swift policy changes.
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