Hundreds of culture and activism personalities reject rearmament in Europe: « It will not bring peace » | Spain

In the same morning in which the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, He defended before the plenary of the Congress of Deputies the need to accelerate the expense in defense In the current geopolitical scenario of Europe, dozens of activists for peace, culture personalities, academia and the main peace organizations in Spain have responded to the doors of Parliament. « The rearme of Europe will not bring peace, it will not contribute to distension, but will bring us even more to war, » says the manifesto that actors Carolina Yuste and Juan Diego Botto have read on the staircase of the lions of the lower house. The brief is also supported by actors such as Alberto San Juan, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Javier Bardem, Carlos Bardem or Nathalie Poza, writers such as Manuel Rivas, Marta Sanz, Edurne Portela, Gabriela Wiener, Carlos Taibo or Isaac Rosa, and singer-songwriters such as Rozalén, Marwan or Pedro Pastor among hundreds of other personalities, driven by Aipaz and the center Delàs d’Estudis per la pau.

« To what extent exactly contributes to that future in peace the unbridled increase in military spending that are proposed to approve European governments without citizen debate, without transparency or detail and urgently? » The manifesto continues. Dozens of protesters have accompanied the reading of the text with posters of « no to the war » and « not when rearma. » Pedro Sánchez has defended that he will comply The commitment that defense spending reaches 2% of GDP Before 2029, as the allies have claimed in the European Union and NATO. He also argued that Europe must « overcome the blockade of melancholy » and adapt to the new reality. « What part of these billions is destined to improve education, health, the terrible situation of housing, precariousness in culture, environmental harmony or international solidarity? », Question the text also signed by the Escola Cultura de Pau, Gernika Gogoratuz, the Noviolencia Noviolence Novact Institute, CEIPAZ or the International League of Women for Peace and Freedom (Wilpf) Spain.

The premise of which the manifesto is that the militaristic context is accompanied by setbacks in social rights, as well as becomes « the ideal scenario to normalize mechanisms of repression and authoritarianism. » For the signers of the text, what is needed at a time like this is “the security that gives quality health and education for all people”, a house where to live for young people, a pension for the elderly and an childhood that does not live the horror of the war.

In the hemicycle, precisely the government president had defended that The increase in defense and security spending “will not be detrimental to the welfare state« On the contrary, he said that » if it is done well, a greater investment in security does not reduce the social model, but that it protects it. « A perspective that the signatories of the manifest question: » Wouldn’t it be necessary to invest in greater political and diplomatic efforts than in the face of threats of aggression, they seek paths of dialogue not yet explored? « , Pray the text.

« We cannot and do not want to accept that the money of our public hospitals, our schools and our public universities, our system of agency, our policies for protection and social coverage for the moments of difficulty, to fight against climate change, sexist violence, racism or protection against emergencies, cooperation, will be destined to buy tanks, rifles, fighters and missiles for war, » claims the statement. « We do not resign ourselves to war, because we do not want the peace of the cemeteries, because history shows us that the only realistic path to get peace is not military, but political, » the manifesto closes, which also support academics such as Yayo Herrero, Carmen Magallón, Fernando Valladares, Tica Font, Sonia Paris, Jokin Alberdi, Eva Aladro or Enric Tello and Journalists as Fernando Berlin, Rosa María Artal, Gervasio Sánchez, Javier Gallego, Juan Roures and Teresa Aranguren.