More than 160,000 drivers in Australia have launched a boycott of fuel stations after a sharp rise in prices at the pump to more than US$1.20 (A41.70) per liter, the daily Mail reports. Dubbed the National Fuel Strike, the initiative began today, with drivers refusing to fuel up and sharing pictures of empty fuel stations.

The number of people who committed to not fuel for two days is the number of drivers who made that pledge on a Facebook event page titled National Fuel Strike. Its creator, Sabrina Lamont, has also started a petition to the government to cancel the general sales tax on fuels and probe fuel prices and price gouging, News.com.au, reports.

Yet there is also another page on Facebook titled National Fuel Strike, where a post clarified things: the initiative launched today is separate from a wider drive against BP and Shell, two of the top fuel retailers in the country. The author of the post explained that going two days without filling up would do little damage if any, but shunning BP and Shell stations specifically and consistently could do more.

“We target 2 major servos in BP & SHELL, that are continuously driving prices up, are always 5-15c more expensive than servos such as metro and united... by boycotting these 2 stations until they drop the prices to an affordable price we will get a better outcome, as for anyone who has done there research knows, that when they drop their prices, the rest follow,” the post said.

And that’s not all. Some drivers have become so frustrated with the rising prices for fuel they are calling for road blocks and shop-closing, the Daily Mail reports. “What needs to happen is people abandon their cars in the street, lock them and walk away until something is done. Stop the entire country. No one goes to work, no shops open, nothing,” one such driver said on social media.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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