Under the motto ‘Yes to Peace! No to NATO!’, a demonstration held at the end of the day in José Saramago Square, central Lisbon, also protested against the attacks by Israel and states in Iran, and called on the Portuguese Government to recognize the State of Palestine.
Behind a banner reading “No to military-political bloc, yes to a collective security system,” demonstrators held flags featuring images of doves and the word “peace,” alongside placards demanding an end to the “escalation of war” and predicting that “Palestine will triumph.”
In statements to Lusa, Isabel Camarinha, of the national leadership of the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC), justified the protest with the message that “this path of growing wars, increased arms expenditure, militarism, warmongering cannot continue when people need and can have a dignified life, a life with peace and security.”
To achieve this, “NATO needs to be dissolved,” argued the former general secretary of CGTP, on the day the NATO Summit began in The Hague, dominated by discussions on a substantial increase in defense spending by member states, including Portugal, beyond the current 2% GDP commitment.
“Our Constitution, approved after the April 25 revolution, prescribes that Portugal’s international relations should seek political and peaceful conflict resolution, general and controlled disarmament, and the dissolution of military-political blocs,” warned the current CPPC leader.
She argued that with the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact at the end of the Cold War between the Western and Eastern blocs, “only NATO remains, promoting wars and conflicts worldwide,” highlighting that the Atlantic Alliance countries “hold most of the world’s armament, clearly showing who is aggressive and who is aggrieved.”
Furthermore, Isabel Camarinha noted that another central message of today’s protest relates to the Middle East situation, “not only the brutal genocide of the Palestinian people that Israel is committing,” referring to the Gaza Strip, but also “the ongoing promotion of conflict and war by Israel with U.S. support.”
The CPPC leader also condemned the U.S. bombings last Sunday against Iran’s nuclear facilities, contributing to “further escalate this climate of war” and instability in the Middle East, which “will never end until Palestine is a free and independent state,” requiring a statement from Portugal.
“Our government (…) must recognize the State of Palestine, as it should have done long ago, as most UN countries have,” appealed Isabel Camarinha, who announced a new rally “for peace in the Middle East” on July 5 in Lisbon.
Among the protesters, several of whom displayed Palestinian flags or wore Palestinian scarves, Dinis Lourenço, a member of the CGTP national council, also mentioned “the historical role of NATO as a destabilizing factor of interference worldwide.”
The union leader criticized the “increase in warmongering rhetoric” and the “armament escalation” envisaged at the meeting of allies in The Hague, which “is exactly the opposite of what workers and people need.”
Dinis Lourenço pointed out “the disinvestment in public services and social functions of the State, in health, education” and lamented that the government’s program opted for “an increase in the military expenditure budget,” foreseeing that the current executive will be “willing to accept anything that comes from the NATO Summit.”
At issue could be a target of 3.5% GDP in traditional defense expenditures (armed forces, equipment, and training) and another 1.5% in dual-use infrastructures (military and civilian).
“What we need is exactly the opposite,” insisted the union central leader, echoing the slogans of today’s rally in Lisbon, demanding “paths for dialogue and peaceful and political conflict resolution,” along with a social agenda.
A protest against NATO will also be held on Wednesday in Porto, starting at 18:00 on Alexandre Braga Street.
