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

Crowds of protesters took to the streets in The Hague on the eve of the NATO summit.

THE HAGUE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of anti-war protestors have expressed their anger at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) military expansion and increasing defense 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 U.S. 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 June 24-25 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 defense spending to 5 percent 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."

"We want housing, not tanks. We need teachers, not bombs… they can find the money to over-arm the world, but never are able to find the money to build housing for the people or pay the teachers and nurses in our society enough," Jongerius added.

Theo Roncken, a Dutch psychologist, echoed the critique, pointing to the arms industry as the true beneficiary of NATO's policies. "It's the arms industry that is promoting the wars. So NATO is today a promotion of the arms industry," he said.

Roncken, who works in healthcare, warned that increased military budgets would inevitably mean deeper cuts to public services. "We do not have enough money to give good care. And I think if arms go up… expenses for care will go down."

He also described the proposed 5-percent GDP military spending target as "a disaster," asking: "Where will this money come from? From education, from health, from all the social things we really need. We don't need arms."

Anger at recent geopolitical developments added urgency to the protest. Signs reading "Stop War on Iran," "No NATO Terror," and "Hands Off Iran" were widespread, a response to the U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities earlier that day.

"I think rightfully, people are angry with the American attack on Iran, so people want to show their support for peace and against war and imperialist aggression," Jongerius said.

Hossein Niknam, a 74-year-old Iranian who has lived in Europe for four decades, criticized the United States for pressing its allies to increase defense spending, seeking to fund NATO with European taxpayers' money.

"The U.S. always wants other countries to pay," he said. "They sit safely behind the lines, like in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and once everyone else is worn down, they come out and declare victory."

Niknam condemned NATO's track record in the Middle East, accusing it of sowing chaos and destruction and citing civilian casualties and mass displacement caused by years of intervention.

"NATO never sought peace," Niknam added. "They seek dominance."