MADRID, June 27th. – The NATO summit begins on Wednesday in this city, the Spanish capital, and authorities have already banned a demonstration against the Atlantic Organization, but on Sunday thousands took to the streets of Madrid and marched behind banners that read ‘No’ To NATO, No to War, For Peace.
The protesters called for the dissolution of US-led NATO and the closure of US-held military bases in Spain.
With the proverbial Madrid mischievousness, the protesters chanted “tanks yes, but beer with tapas” while protesting that a NATO-demanded increase in defense spending in Europe was a threat to peace.
“I’m sick [de] this gun shop and [de] to kill people. The solution they propose is more guns and wars, and we always pay for it. So no NATO, no bases [del ejército]let the Americans go and leave us alone without wars and guns,” Concha Hoyos, a pensioner from Madrid, told Al Jazeera.
Organizers claimed that 5,000 people joined the march, but Madrid authorities put the number at 2,200.
Madrid becomes a virtual fortress during the two-day summit. More than 10,000 police officers and other security forces will protect the representatives from around 40 countries who are present. An Interior Ministry spokesman said no specific threat had been identified so far.
The summit takes place in the shadow of the war in Ukraine and is expected to take decisions to strengthen NATO’s military and deterrent capabilities. The proposal rejected by Alliance member Turkey to include Finland and Sweden in its ranks should also be examined.