MADRID, June 26 (Reuters) – Carrying the sickle and hammer flags of the former Soviet Union, thousands of people protested in Madrid on Sunday against the NATO summit to be held in the Spanish capital next week.
Amid tight security, leaders of member countries will meet in Madrid from June 29-30, as the organization faces the unprecedented challenge of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
NATO is expected to consider the proposal, which is opposed by Turkey, a member of the alliance, for Finland and Sweden to join.
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The Nordic nations applied after the Russian assault on Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin describes the war as a special military operation that responds in part to NATO’s accession of other countries close to the borders of post-Soviet Russia since the 1990s.
“Tanks yes, but beer with tapas,” chanted the protesters, who claimed that an increase in defense spending in Europe urged by NATO was a threat to peace.
“I’m fed up with this arms business and killing people. The solution they propose is more weapons and wars and we always pay for it. So neither NATO nor bases (armies), let go of the Americans and let us ) alone without wars or weapons, “Concha Hoyos, a retired Madrid resident, told Reuters.
Another protester, Jaled, 29, said NATO was not the solution to Ukraine’s war.
Organizers said 5,000 people joined the march, but Madrid authorities put the figure at 2,200.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in an interview with the newspaper published on Sunday that the summit will also focus on the threat of Europe’s southern flank to Africa, in which he said Russia represents a threat to Europe.
“The Foreign Ministers’ dinner on the 29th will focus on the southern flank,” he told the newspaper El País.
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Report by Graham Keeley, additional report: Elena Rodriguez, Michael Gore, Nacho Doce; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel
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