In the Netherlands city of The Hague, a large group of individuals gathered on Sunday to demonstrate against NATO, military expenditures, and the potential for conflict with Iran, just ahead of an upcoming summit of the alliance in the same city focused on boosting defense budgets.
Among the protestors, Belgian politician Jos d’Haese urged for investments in peace and sustainable energy at a park near the summit location. While the rally was initially planned against NATO and the conflict in Gaza, participants were also joined by Iranians displaying banners reading “No Iran War” following recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Hossein Hamadani, a 74-year-old Iranian residing in the Netherlands, voiced his opposition to war, emphasizing the desire for a peaceful existence amidst global challenges. Critically observing the environment, he questioned the prioritization of military expenditures over addressing pressing societal needs.
The annual meeting of the 32-member alliance is set to commence on Tuesday in the Netherlands, with a focus on negotiating an increase in defense spending as requested by U.S. President Donald Trump. While progress had been made on the agreement, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed reservations, highlighting concerns over committing to allocate 5% of GDP to defense.
Following Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, many NATO members have boosted defense budgets, though a significant portion still falls short of the alliance’s 2% GDP target. The summit is under tight security measures, known as “Orange Shield,” with a large deployment of law enforcement, military personnel, drones, no-fly zones, and cybersecurity experts safeguarding the event.
Contributions to this report were made by Associated Press writer Molly Quell in The Hague.
