Manifestation in Madrid: « Down weapons, pensions! »

About 3,000 protesters, according to official estimates, gathered in the Spanish capital Madrid on Saturday at a rally against Europe’s reunion and increasing military spending to 5% of GDP, EFE agency reports.

The protest took place under the slogans « No NATO! » And « not to the war budgets! », The participants at the same time demanding the Spanish government led by the socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez to be firm in the refusal to allocate for military expenses useful funds for social purposes.

« Down the weapons, the pensions! », « We do not want to pay your war with health and education », « Israel Assasin, Sponsor Europe, » participants, with allusions not only in the Ukraine war, but also at the Gaza Strip. The rally leaders of the Spanish left and activists for social rights also participated in the rally.

The financing of the reunion « will not be, without a doubt, through reductions of social expenses », stressed a protester, Javier Baeza, a priest of a church that helps vulnerable groups. « We must cry that we cannot accept this warrior path, as it will not lead to anything good, » added the same protester.

From the united left formation, part of the summary (left coalition that governs Spain with the Socialist Party), the deputy Enrique Santiago said that for his party it will be « very difficult, if not impossible », to remain in a government « entering this brutal derivative of the re-arming, » writes Agerpres.

For her part, MEP Irene Montero, who is also Secretary General of the Podemos left party, criticized the Spanish government because it has increased military spending by about 10.5 billion euros, which, she says, is already translating into discounts of social expenses. « Today we know that following the budget engineering there are already billions of euros less for education, » noted Irene Montero.
The demonstration from Madrid took place before the NATO summit that will take place on June 24 and 25 in The Hague, where the Alliance Member States are expected to increase their commitments to defense budgets.

US President Donald Trump has asked NATO’s European members to increase their defense budgets to 5% of GDP, well over the current 2% of GDP, which is not reached by nine of the 32 Member States of the Alliance.

The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, who in January suggested to the alliance Member States to increase military expenses by diminishing those for pensions, health or social assistance, officially proposed that the leaders of these states be accepted at the summit of the defense budgets to 5% of the GDP, but broken down in 3.5% of the GDP, in addition to the GDP, such as infrastructure.