Dozens of Belgian and international organisations gathered in Brussels’ Place de la Monnaie on Monday evening to protest against NATO’s proposed 5% GDP defence spending target ahead of a summit in The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Organised by the 'Stop Militarisation' platform, the protest aimed to oppose the defence spending goal that Member States, including Belgium, are urged to meet by 2032.
“We are here to denounce the militarisation that States like Arizona [the Belgian Government] promote in our name,” said Paula Polanco, president of Intal, an organisation advocating for international solidarity and the right to health.
The rally’s motto was 'Make Peace Great Again.'
The platform claims Belgium would need to triple its annual military budget from €8 billion to €30 billion to meet the target. “Five percent for defence means enriching the military industry at the expense of national budgets,” said Giulia Costes, co-president of the National Coordination for Action on Peace and Democracy (CNAPD).
Union leaders such as Bert Engelaar from the Socialist federation ABVV-FGTB, along with representatives of radical left and international pacifist movements, also spoke at the event.
“Militarisation leads to war, as we know too well in Europe,” stressed Katerina Anastasiou from Stop Rearm Europe. David Swanson of World Beyond War remarked that military funding should instead address environmental and educational needs.
The 'Stop Militarisation' protest proceeded peacefully.
NATO’s 32 Member States have agreed in principle to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2032, although Belgium has requested more time. The summit in The Hague is expected to formalise this new target on Tuesday and Wednesday.
