Experts are predicting a winter of discontent across the continent as spiraling cost of living and energy costs rattle governments and societies, bringing social unrest and calls for radical tax measures as European countries attempt to wean themselves of Russian energy supplies.

In the UK, rallies have been held calling for pay rises, rent caps, cheaper energy and food, and taxes on the rich, while in France, Belgium, and Spain, healthcare, aviation, and public transport workers have gone out on strike to demand more pay in the face of rocketing inflation.

As the EU attempts to reduce fossil-fuel imports by two-thirds and cut gas demand by 15%, Naomi Hossain, a professor of development politics at the American University in Washington DC warned, “If I were a politician, I’d be really worried.”