TRUCKERS AND MOTORISTS PROTEST OVER HIGH FUEL PRICES

LISBON, SEPTEMBER 25 /SRNA-Reuters/ - Truck drivers and motorists protested in Portugal today over rising fuel prices.

Fuel prices have risen by 24 per cent compared to last year due to the conflict in the Middle East, with diesel costing more than two euros per litre.

Hundreds of trucks moved slowly in a convoy along a motorway in Portugal, while motorists honked their horns on Lisbon’s largest bridge.

The truck convoy stretched for 150 kilometres, travelling from Paredes in the north to Coimbra in central Portugal.

In Lisbon, demonstrators began their protest while crossing the bridge connecting the suburbs on the southern bank of the Tagus River.

The protesters are demanding a return to working from home, as was the case during the pandemic, as well as the suspension of tolls and the 23 per cent VAT on fuel.

The organizers are also calling for the resignation of Environment Minister Graça Carvalho over her comments that “people should drive more slowly to save fuel.”