Demonstrators across Europe call for an end to Western support for the war against Iran, while rising energy prices and economic uncertainty intensify public anger over the consequences of military escalation.

LONDON -- Pro-Iran and anti-war demonstrators rallied in European capitals over the weekend and into Tuesday, condemning U.S. and Israeli military threats against Tehran and demanding that Western governments halt their support for what organizers called an imposed war.

Outside the U.S. Embassy in London's Nine Elms district, anti-war activists, civil society campaigners and Iranian expatriates carried Iranian flags and placards reading "Hands Off Iran" and "No to War."

Organized by the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the rally drew many Iranians living in Britain and demanded that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham explicitly rule out the use of UK military bases, including RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, as launchpads for any further attacks on Iran.

It came after hundreds of Iranians and supporters of the "resistance front" from Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Pakistan gathered in Frankfurt, carrying Iranian flags and pictures of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, condemning U.S. attacks on Iran and expressing solidarity with the Islamic Republic.

Participants called on the German government to stand with peace and stability rather than support warmongering approaches, and some demonstrators trampled images of U.S. President Donald Trump and terrorist Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

In the Netherlands, a solidarity march with Palestine drew more than 250,000 people in Amsterdam on Sunday, with participants wearing red and calling for an end to arms shipments to Israeli occupied territories.

The gathering was part of a broader European mobilization that included support for Iran against U.S. and Israeli warmongering.

Tuesday's actual European street activity was overwhelmingly domestic in character. In France, 49 of the country's 3,700 lycées were blockaded Tuesday morning and 1.6 percent of teachers were on strike, with incidents reported in Chelles, where a deputy mayor was doused with petrol, and Lyon, where police used tear gas during clashes.

The movement began in September over teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms but has since broadened into wider protests against living costs, with unions calling another day of action for November 17.

In Spain, students were preparing for a nationwide general strike on Wednesday, with unions demanding wage increases, reduced working hours and housing guarantees.

The Spanish action was driven by a housing crisis in which rents have risen far faster than wages, with unions reporting that rents have increased 50 to 100 percent in high-demand areas while salaries rose only about 25 percent since 2016.

In Barcelona, roughly 100 students cut the Diagonal avenue for about 45 minutes at midday on Tuesday, blocking tram traffic and chanting demands for free and universal housing as a prelude to the strike.

In Portugal, a housing movement was building toward its own mobilizations, with emigrant solidarity groups organizing demonstrations in Brussels and London on Tuesday in support of the Acampadas movement, reflecting a crisis in which Lisbon rents have surged while wages stagnate.

The broader context is one of sustained European social unrest driven by energy prices, inflation and austerity, with protests in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium centered on wages, housing and public services rather than foreign policy.

The economic repercussions of the war on Iran have also intensified inflationary pressures and the cost-of-living crisis across Europe and the United States.

Disruptions to energy markets and higher oil and gas prices have added to the financial burden on households and businesses already struggling with rising prices, extending the economic consequences of the war far beyond West Asia.

In the United States, rising fuel prices and energy costs have placed additional pressure on American consumers, threatening to push up transportation expenses, grocery bills, household utility costs and the prices of everyday goods.

The resulting affordability concerns have added to economic uncertainty at a time when many households are already struggling with the cost of housing and other essential expenses.

Across Europe, the impact has been particularly significant given the region's dependence on imported energy. Higher oil and gas prices threaten to feed into transportation, manufacturing and food production costs, potentially deepening inflation and further eroding household purchasing power.

The prospect of a prolonged war has raised concerns that the economic fallout could continue to spread across both sides of the Atlantic, placing additional pressure on governments, businesses and consumers while intensifying existing social and economic grievances.

Inside Iran itself, nightly pro-government rallies continued, with crowds in Ahvaz marking the 254th consecutive night of gatherings and chanting slogans against the United States and Israel.