Hundreds take to the street in the Hague to demonstrate against NATO
Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday to protest against NATO, rising military spending, and the risk of war with Iran. The protest comes two days before a summit of the alliance in The Hague, where leaders are expected to discuss increasing defence budgets.
'Let's invest in peace and sustainable energy,' Belgian politician Joe d'Haese said addressing a crowd in a park near the summit location.
Although the protest focused on NATO and the war in Gaza, many Iranians joined in response to Sunday's attacks carried out by the United States on three key Iranian nuclear sites. Demonstrators were seen holding signs reading 'No Iran War,' and "Hands off Iran."
'We are opposed to war. People want to live a peaceful life,' said 74-year-old Hossein Hamadani, an Iranian living in the Netherlands. "Things are not good. So why do we spend money on war?' he added.
Arno van der Veen, spokesperson for the Counter Summit Coalition for Peace and Justice, which organised the protest, said the role of NATO has become problematic now that the US decided to join Israel in the war in Iran.
"If there is a retaliation from Iran now, which would be just and legitimate under international law, then we, as the Netherlands, would also be at war with Iran," he told Euronews.
"The next step is a nuclear war. And that is what we are incredibly worried about, and why we can see that the moment you buy more weapons, the chances increase that you will also use them. And that is life-threatening," he warned.
Anti-NATO activists are often criticised for having a supposedly pro-Russian stance. Van der Veen emphasised, however, that his organisation stands against Russian imperialism, while also opposing US imperialism.
"They are both now trying to divide the natural resources in the ground in Ukraine," he said. "The population of Ukraine is the victim of this war, and also the population of Russia, because they are all sent into the army."
The Netherlands is hosting the annual NATO summit, starting Tuesday, with world leaders meeting on Wednesday.
Leaders plan to agree on higher defence spending, as pushed by US President Donald Trump. Talks were nearly complete last week, until Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that asking Spain to spend 5% of its GDP on defence was 'unreasonable and counterproductive.'
Since Russia invaded Ukraine over three years ago, NATO countries have increased defence spending. But nearly a third still do not meet the current 2% target.
The summit is under tight security, with the largest safety operation ever in the Netherlands, called 'Orange Shield.' It involves thousands of police and military officers, drones, no-fly zones, and cybersecurity teams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
In Tel Aviv, after Iran's retaliation, residents hope for decisive blow to nuclear threat
Irving Kaplan, 92, walked slowly as he left the retirement home. The blast from the Iranian missile, which struck on Sunday morning just a few dozen meters away near Tel Aviv University, in the city's north, caused major damage to the building. Windows shattered, rooms on several floors were ravaged, but the structure remained intact. The alert, issued at 7:30 am – 15 minutes before impact – allowed residents to reach the shelters, and the human toll remained moderate, with around 20 people suffering minor injuries in the neighborhood. "America did a good thing. Iran is a poison for the world," said the elderly man, who made it down from his fourth-floor room in time, praising the strikes carried out by American bombers on Saturday night into Sunday on Iran's nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. His son Yeremi, age 63, a musician, described the widely shared feeling – even after Iran's retaliation – of the necessity of attacking Iran: "We saw on October 7 that the Iranians do what they say. They sent Hamas, they sent Hezbollah and they were building a nuclear bomb. They don't want us here. They want to devour us. We must defend ourselves." Tel Aviv once again awoke to the sound of missile alerts on Sunday morning. It was the 24 th alert in the city of four million people since Israel launched its war against Iran, its nuclear program, and the ayatollahs' regime. Residents felt they were living through particularly grave moments. In the shelters, where millions of Israelis had taken refuge, there was anxious anticipation over the scale of Iran's retaliation. The first salvo came a few hours after the American B-2 bombers' airstrikes: Iran launched more than 20 missiles, about 10 of which were not destroyed before impact by the air force and missile defense systems.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Russia and China push for a ceasefire as UN Security Council meets on Iran
The UN Security Council met on Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 more, the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said Sunday. The three countries circulated the draft text, said diplomats, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass. The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran 's nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel. US bombs Iran: UN security council to convene on Sunday 08:44 "The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday. "We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation." "We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme," Guterres said. The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that while craters were visible at Iran's enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, "no one – including the IAEA – is in a position to assess the underground damage." Grossi said entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran's sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again. "Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites," said Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. "Armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked", he added. Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body "to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms". Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel "do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place". Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the US strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Danon said: "That's for the Iranian people to decide, not for us."
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Hundreds take to the street in the Hague to demonstrate against NATO
Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday to protest against NATO, rising military spending, and the risk of war with Iran. The protest comes two days before a summit of the alliance in The Hague, where leaders are expected to discuss increasing defence budgets. 'Let's invest in peace and sustainable energy,' Belgian politician Joe d'Haese said addressing a crowd in a park near the summit location. Although the protest focused on NATO and the war in Gaza, many Iranians joined in response to Sunday's attacks carried out by the United States on three key Iranian nuclear sites. Demonstrators were seen holding signs reading 'No Iran War,' and "Hands off Iran." 'We are opposed to war. People want to live a peaceful life,' said 74-year-old Hossein Hamadani, an Iranian living in the Netherlands. "Things are not good. So why do we spend money on war?' he added. Arno van der Veen, spokesperson for the Counter Summit Coalition for Peace and Justice, which organised the protest, said the role of NATO has become problematic now that the US decided to join Israel in the war in Iran. "If there is a retaliation from Iran now, which would be just and legitimate under international law, then we, as the Netherlands, would also be at war with Iran," he told Euronews. "The next step is a nuclear war. And that is what we are incredibly worried about, and why we can see that the moment you buy more weapons, the chances increase that you will also use them. And that is life-threatening," he warned. Anti-NATO activists are often criticised for having a supposedly pro-Russian stance. Van der Veen emphasised, however, that his organisation stands against Russian imperialism, while also opposing US imperialism. "They are both now trying to divide the natural resources in the ground in Ukraine," he said. "The population of Ukraine is the victim of this war, and also the population of Russia, because they are all sent into the army." The Netherlands is hosting the annual NATO summit, starting Tuesday, with world leaders meeting on Wednesday. Leaders plan to agree on higher defence spending, as pushed by US President Donald Trump. Talks were nearly complete last week, until Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that asking Spain to spend 5% of its GDP on defence was 'unreasonable and counterproductive.' Since Russia invaded Ukraine over three years ago, NATO countries have increased defence spending. But nearly a third still do not meet the current 2% target. The summit is under tight security, with the largest safety operation ever in the Netherlands, called 'Orange Shield.' It involves thousands of police and military officers, drones, no-fly zones, and cybersecurity teams.
