“They may think they have no other place to express their displeasure,” he said.
The far right is making a comeback across Europe. This week, the Italian Brotherhood party won the most votes in Italian elections. And in Sweden, a group founded by neo-Nazis and skinheads looks set to become the largest political party in the next government.
In Germany, the far-right alternative for Germany, known by its German acronym AfD, has risen to about 15% in polls and is planning protests in Berlin next month.
“People aren’t even using the heating yet. That’s yet to come,” Quent said. “Nevertheless, the AfD is already on a visible upward trend. This is actually the scenario I feared.”
At the Prague protests, many of the participants resented being called fringe or far-right.
“Not only are energy prices rising, but so are food prices. Miroslav Kusmilek, who came, said: “I’m worried when I see companies struggling. If the company that employs me goes bankrupt, so will I.”
As he spoke, Germany’s AfD’s Christine Andersson was speaking on stage, shouting to great cheers, “You no longer live in democracy!”
For energy professionals, the populist surge adds yet another knot to the tangle of issues Europe is grappling with. In addition to Russia’s gas cuts, France’s nuclear power plants remained at half capacity due to maintenance problems, and a severe drought prevented Germany from importing coal over the summer.