#Europe agenda: Macron finds the culprit at #FrenchRiots: Videogames?

French president Macron thinks protestors angry at police killing teen are “playing out the video games that have intoxicated them”

Recently, France has experienced a wave of riots and protests. Here is a summary of the events by Perplexity.ai:

• The riots began after a 17-year-old youth of Algerian heritage was shot by police during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre[1].
• The violence escalated over several nights, with buildings and vehicles being torched, stores being looted, and clashes between rioters and police[2][3].
• The unrest spread to major French cities, including Marseille, Lille, and Nice[4].
• The government responded by deploying significant reinforcements, with 45,000 police officers, including special forces, being deployed across the country[4].
• Hundreds of people were arrested, and more than 200 police officers were injured[2].
• The situation prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to hold crisis meetings and postpone a state visit to Germany[5][1][3].
• The protests have subsided in recent nights, with fewer arrests and a relative calm[6][3].
• The government is working to regain control of the situation and address the underlying issues that sparked the unrest[6][1].

Overall, the recent riots in France have caused significant disruptions and raised concerns about social tensions and unrest in the country. The government is taking measures to restore order and address the grievances of the protesters.

Citations:
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/europe/nanterre-france-police-protests-explainer-intl/index.html
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/frances-macron-hold-new-crisis-meeting-after-third-night-riots-2023-06-30/
[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/2/france-unrest-protest-riots-calmer-night
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/jun/30/france-riots-violence-looting-emmanuel-macron-paris-marseill-nanterre-nahele-lille-latest-updates
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/jul/01/france-riots-protests-nahel-m-police-latest-news-updates
[6] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/tensions-frances-streets-ease-arrests-sunday-night-down-2023-07-03/

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Orbán still vetoing EU’s Russia sanctions over bank insult

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has vetoed EU sanctions against Russia’s nuclear sector. The reason behind Orbán’s veto is Hungary’s excessive dependency on Russian fossil fuels. Orbán claims that the EU sanctions have driven up gas prices and inflation, and if these measures were to be scrapped, gas prices would drop by 50% immediately while inflation would also fall. Hungary will veto any EU sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, according to Orbán. Hungary has a Russian-built nuclear plant it plans to expand with Rosatom, and it has blocked Ukraine’s call to include Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in sanctions. Orbán has also blamed EU sanctions for the energy crisis and wants them scrapped. Hungary abandoned a Budapest-based Russian bank because U.S. sanctions had “ruined” it, according to Orbán[1][2][3].

Citations:
[1] https://www.politico.eu/article/orban-to-veto-eu-sanctions-against-russian-nuclear-sector/
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-will-veto-eu-sanctions-russian-nuclear-energy-pm-orban-2023-01-27/
[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-pm-orban-says-eus-russia-sanctions-should-be-scrapped-report-2022-09-22/

By Perplexity at https://www.perplexity.ai/search/a1f042a9-ff2a-4ba2-9900-3cc9acf488be

Reactions from other EU member states to Hungary and Greece’s veto on Russia’s sanctions

According to recent news articles, Hungary and Greece are still blocking EU sanctions on Russia, and this has caused frustration among other EU member states. Hungary has vetoed any European Union sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, and it has also threatened to block the renewal of some parts of the European Union’s sanctions regime against Russia if three oligarchs aren’t removed from a list that takes restrictive measures against more than 1,000 people in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in late February[1][2][3]. Greece, on the other hand, opposed EU anti-circumvention measures using the motive they could weaken its shipowners[4]. EU foreign ministers have failed to agree on the release of an eighth €500 million tranche for the European Peace Facility aimed at accelerating arms transfers to Ukraine, and Hungary refused to approve new financing[4]. The odd couple wants some of their companies struck off this list before they will agree to the sanctions package, and this has sparked tensions at a meeting of EU foreign ministers[5]. EU diplomats say Hungary has threatened to veto the 11th package of sanctions over OTP Bank, a move Budapest has often threatened but never carried out[3]. While EU diplomats are irritated by Hungary’s linkage of the issues, there is also frustration with Kyiv[3].

Citations:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-will-veto-eu-sanctions-russian-nuclear-energy-pm-orban-2023-01-27/
[2] https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-hungary-russia-sanctions/32020945.html
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/19/hungary-steps-up-threat-to-block-eu-weapons-aid-for-ukraine-peter-szijjarto
[4] https://www.lemonde.fr/en/european-union/article/2023/05/23/hungary-and-greece-stall-ukraine-aid-talks-in-brussels_6027775_156.html
[5] https://www.politico.eu/article/new-sanctions-against-russia-stuck-limbo-greece-hungary-protest-ukraine-war/

By Perplexity at https://www.perplexity.ai/search/d933b4d4-d5a3-4445-acb7-b542a68faba0