“We are not resigned to rearmament and war in Europe”: PBI-Spanish State and nearly 850 organizations
Photo: The statement was announced on Wednesday March 26 on the steps of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his intention to accelerate the country’s military spending.
Peace Brigade International-Spanish State, along with nearly 850 organizations and 16,000 individuals, has signed this letter that opposes the European Commission plan to “ReArm Europe” by spending €800 billion over the next four years.
Signatories of the letter also include Greenpeace Spain, Mundubat, ATTAC Spain, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Spain, and the Observatory of Peace and Human Rights-University of Tolima.
The letter pointedly asks: “Would it not be necessary to invest in greater political and diplomatic efforts that, in the face of threats of aggression, seek paths of dialogue that have not yet been explored?”
It then asserts: “The rearmament of Europe will not bring peace, it will not contribute to détente, but it will bring us even closer to war. Militaristic contexts are also often accompanied by setbacks in rights, freedoms and social policies, causing fear and social alarm, an ideal scenario for normalising mechanisms of repression and authoritarianism, as we are already beginning to see.”
It also provides this critique: “This Europe which is silent or, worse, supports Israel in its genocide in Gaza and the West Bank and even persecutes those who denounce it, needs to clearly redefine what are those common values whose defense is put forward as a justification for rearmament.”
The letter concludes: “We do not resign ourselves to war, because we do not want the peace of the cemeteries, because history shows us that the only realistic way to achieve peace is not military, but political.”
The full letter signed by our colleagues at PBI-Spanish State can be read at Manifiesto: ‘No nos resignamos al rearme y a la guerra en Europa’.
Military spending set to increase across Europe and in Canada
Along with Spain, plans to dramatically increase military spending are now being seen in multiple countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Norway.
On January 24 of this year, CBC News reported: “Defence Minister Bill Blair says it’s ‘absolutely achievable’ for Canada to meet NATO’s military investment benchmark of two per cent of gross domestic product within two years.” The Fraser Institute further explains: “To reach 2.0 per cent of GDP in 2027/28, the government would need to spend $68.8 billion on defence during that fiscal year. Assuming the initial jump remains the same, this implies the government would need to increase annual defence spending by $16.5 billion from 2025/26 to 2027/28—$15.3 billion more than currently planned.”
On February 25, BBC reported: “[British prime minister] Keir Starmer has set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027. The prime minister said he would cut the foreign aid budget to fund the military boost – a move welcomed by the US administration but labelled a ‘betrayal’ by development charities.”
In response, PBI-UK stated: “We are stunned and disappointed by the UK Government’s decision to slash aid in order to fund defence spending. Following in the wake of the USAID freeze, this decision will leave even more civil society organisations and human rights defenders exposed at a time of escalating global crises.”
A report posted this week on the website of Wilton Park, “an Executive Agency of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office”, additionally warns: “As ongoing conflicts remain unresolved and major military powers continue to prepare for the possibility of a wider war, there is simultaneously more at stake for human rights and an increasingly difficult environment in which to defend them. Women HRDs [human rights defenders] face particularly severe risks in this context.”
Webinar, April 8
PBI-Canada is partnering with World Beyond War this coming Tuesday April 8 at 7 pm ET for a webinar that will highlight that the militarization of Indigenous territories, borders and foreign policy has already put the lives of land defenders, migrants and communities around the world at risk. A panel of authors and activists will share critical perspectives on why more militarism is not the answer. Registration link coming soon!
Shut Down CANSEC, May 28
PBI-Canada will also be observing the Shut Down CANSEC mobilization being planned on Wednesday May 28 starting at 7 am ET.
The protest will challenge the CANSEC arms show that brings together some of the world’s largest weapons companies and more than 50 international delegations including from countries where state security forces repress, threaten and kill human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and community members.
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