Banners reading “No to NATO, No to war, for peace” were flown as thousands marched through the Spanish city.
Thousands of anti-NATO protesters gathered in Madrid on Sunday ahead of the Western military alliance’s summit in the Spanish capital this week.
Demonstrators called for the US-led NATO to be disbanded and for US-backed military bases in Spain to be closed. Banners reading “No to NATO, No to war, for peace” were placed during the procession through the city.
The Spanish government has banned another rally scheduled for Wednesday, the first day of the NATO summit, for security reasons.
“Tanks yes, but tapas beer,” protesters sang, arguing that NATO’s increased defense spending in Europe was a threat to peace.
“I’m sick [with] this business with guns and killing people. The solution they offer is more weapons and wars, and we always pay for that. So there is no NATO, no [army] bases, let the Americans go and leave us alone without wars and weapons, “said Concha Hoyos, a retired Madrid resident.
Organizers say 5,000 people have joined the march, but authorities in Madrid estimate 2,200.
Virtual fortress
NATO is expected to consider the candidacy opposed by Turkey, a member of the Alliance, for the accession of Finland and Sweden. The Scandinavian nations applied after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who calls the war a special military operation, says it is partly in line with other countries’ accession to NATO near Russia’s post-Soviet borders in the 1990s.
Madrid will be turned into a virtual fortress during the two-day summit. More than 10,000 police and other security forces will provide protection for representatives of about 40 countries present. A spokesman for the interior ministry said no specific threat had been identified so far.
The summit is being held in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, and decisions are expected to be made to strengthen NATO’s military and deterrent capabilities.
Add Comment