"France sneezed, and Europe has again caught the cold," the newspaper wrote, noting that streets in Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Brussels and Tirana had filled with protesters and that demonstrations had often turned into clashes.
"The future course of the continent is being shaped, for better or worse, on the streets as well as at the ballot box," The Guardian said.
The newspaper noted that the causes and demands of the protests vary from country to country, citing the state of education in France and Greece, housing in Spain and Portugal, and a proposal to restore compulsory military service in Germany. It said those differences "should not be elided."
At the same time, the newspaper argued that the protesters shared a common concern. "Underlying all these is the breakdown of the social contract," it said, adding that the younger generation expected "with good reason, to be worse off than their parents."
According to the editorial, far-right parties across Europe, "egged on" by the administration of US President Donald Trump, "are seeking to capitalise on the unrest through lies that immigrants and open borders are to blame, and that a strong hand is needed to restore order."
The editorial argues that while "these parties do not have real answers to the questions raised by protesters," the unrest on Europe's streets will shape the continent's immediate future.
Elections will be held over the next year in four of Europe's largest countries, Spain, France, Poland and Italy, according to the newspaper.
Those votes could lead to a "radical rightwards shift that could fundamentally change" the European Union, The Guardian predicted.
(gs)
Source: PAP, theguardian.com