“We want housing, not tanks”: thousands protest NATO expansion in The Hague

THOUSANDS of anti-war protestors have expressed their anger at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) military expansion and increasing defence spending ahead of the alliance’s upcoming summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
Organized by more than 20 civil society groups from over 20 countries, the demonstrators gathered Sunday afternoon at Koekamp Park near The Hague Central Station for a large-scale protest.
At the heart of the demonstration stood a striking symbol: a black paper “Trojan Horse”, dubbed the “ NATO Horse”. The structure was filled with mock weapons like landmines, missiles, and guns. Emblazoned in blood-red letters across its body were the words “Genocide”, “Death”, and “Destruction”, a grim visual statement of the demonstrators’ message.
“NATO says it will bring peace and security,” said protester Eevee Garcia. “But it’s actually hiding that it will bring more weapons, bring more war, and bring more devastation to the world.”
She emphasized the protest’s broader purpose, saying, “It’s very important for us to be here today to really highlight that the US is using NATO as a tool to further its aggression in different parts of the world, and we want to stand together with the people struggling against imperialism.”
The demonstration came in direct response to the NATO summit scheduled for 24-25 June in The Hague, where leaders of the alliance’s 32 member states are expected to discuss, among other items, a controversial proposal to raise national defence spending to five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Niels Jongerius, a staff member at the Transnational Institute and one of the event’s organizers, noted the broad international turnout. “To us as a Dutch peace movement, and I think for peace activists elsewhere, it’s obvious that we always criticize what our governments do when it comes to warmongering,” he said.
He criticized NATO’s vast military footprint, arguing: “NATO is already the most militarized bloc in the world. Far over half of the world’s military expenditure is done by NATO and its member states.” — Xinhua

Source: GNLM