Hundreds take to the streets of the Hague in demonstration against NATO

[Ajay0]

Two days before nato summit in Hague, hundreds of europeans protested against Nato , increased military spending and risk of nuclear war.
 

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/22/hundreds-take-to-the-streets-of-the-hague-in-demonstration-against-nato-days-before-major-

Quote

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.

"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.

 

[BlueOak]

Utterly detached from the current state of the world. 

[Ajay0]

I have came across an article stating of a growing body of homeless people in Europe as well numbering over 1.3 million .

https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/europe-s-homelessness-crisis-council-of-europe-and-council-of-europe-development-bank-join-forces-to-find-solutions

Quote

Around 1.3 million people are currently homeless in Europe. The homelessness crisis is deepening due to increasing economic challenges, housing shortages, social exclusion, migration and other systemic issues. To address these pressing concerns, policymakers, social leaders, experts and financial actors will join forces in Strasbourg on 3 December to find human rights-based solutions at the Conference “Addressing Homelessness through Social Investment”, co-organised by the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB).

https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/opinion/eu-leaders-must-take-steps-to-limit-cold-hunger-homelessness-in-europe-this-winter/

Quote

 

Households across the EU will struggle with energy, food and housing costs this winter. If inflation and particularly energy prices continue on their current course, many people will fall into poverty and destitution, unable to cover the essentials. Actions taken now could make a huge difference, writes Ruth Owen. 

Europe is facing a cost-of-living crisis, driven to a large extent by the war in Ukraine and supply chain problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftershocks. Inflation in the eurozone reached a record-breaking 8.9% in July. 

 

It is sad to see both the US and EU prioritizing defense spending when growing numbers of their population are suffering from homelesness and would have benefitted from free or subsidized housing as present in many other countries like China and so on.

The US itself has a growing body of 800000 homeless people and around 700 homeless Americans die of hypothermia every year due to lack of proper housing facilities.

Hopefully, the western leadership would seek inexpensive diplomatic measures to end conflicts and instead focus and prioritize on the welfare of their own population and social development programmes benefitting the western poor and underprivileged.

[Basman]

Russia is on the warpath. More money spent on the military is just a necessity.

NATO countries are actually very happy to under spend on their militaries otherwise, which they have until recently. Europe has long leaned heavily on the US military which has lead to them being woefully unprepared for an attritional war with Russia, especially as America withdraws its support. 

More money spent on the military is less money spent on public goods however. It could contribute to the degradation of trust in institutions in the long-term. A part of European welfare is getting to underspend on the military till recently.

[Basman]

Security is a basic and essential need. Without security you can't have a functional society. Violence is an existential threat to society, which is why monopolizing violence is such a high priority, such that you can regulate violence. The alternative is society dissolving into tribes and gangs. 

Adequate military spending is more important than helping homeless people or feeding orphans. 

[Schizophonia]

Europe is definitively the most conscious place on the world. 

[Ajay0]

12 hours ago, Basman said:

Adequate military spending is more important than helping homeless people or feeding orphans. 

Rich military industrial complex capitalists and shareholders of many western defense companies have become more wealthier and I am sure that they will not mind the war continuing for a long time more to ensure larger bank balances.

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/03/european-stocks-and-other-finance-news-to-know/

https://www.usfunds.com/resource/european-defense-stocks-go-parabolic-as-war-spending-surges/

https://theconversation.com/ukraine-the-worlds-defence-giants-are-quietly-making-billions-from-the-war-178806

 You can try to persuade these wealthy capitalists to fund social programmes to help the western homeless and poor, instead of buying the latest super-yachts, mansions and private jets for themselves or vacationing in expensive, exotic destinations.

 Yes, they might generally seem to be condescending, snobbish and status-conscious and probably will ignore you as a nuisance factor and call their private security to get rid of you, but there is no harm in trying.

Persistence is the key. Maybe you might strike lucky after repeated calls. Who knows!

[Basman]

23 minutes ago, Ajay0 said:

Rich military industrial complex capitalists and shareholders of many western defense companies have become more wealthier and I am sure that they will not mind the war continuing for a long time more to ensure larger bank balances.

Of course shovel makers are getting rich during a gold rush. But the reality of the situation is that we are in a moment of time of heightened security needs. That is simply what it is. We need more shovels. It's not that deep. 

Corporations are ultimately not responsible for the welfare of society. That is the governments job. It's the government you should really be pressing. Corporations are going to do what they can get away with generally. If corporations are running amok than that is an issue of regulation in the same way that murderers and rapists running amok is an issue of policing. 

Of course it is a problem if politicians are in bed with corporations. Like starting unjust wars for profit. But that is an issue of corruption. Again, the responsibility lies with the government.

Edited July 19 by Basman

[Basman]

Business can do welfare but only if it is a win-win for them. Therefor, private funded welfare tend to be band-aid solutions. Not permanent solutions. For that you need to build infrastructure and high quality bureaucracy, which only the government can effectively provide. Permanent solutions tend to be a net-loss monetarily but politically significant, which is why only the government can provide permanent solutions ultimately. 

You can build as many wells in Africa as you want but unless the local government doesn't start building it's own solutions for creating public goods then the situation will never truly change. It's an issue of corruption, a lack of resources and development. Not of a lack of goodwill or business corruption necessarily. 

[Basman]

The purpose of a strong military is to first and foremost prevent war from taking place in the first place. NATO spending more on military is largely to keep the peace.

[BlueOak]

Strong defense is required in times of uncertainty and violence. To not have a strong military in Europe when we are surrounded by dictators, would be supremely stupid. Every major military power is either a dictatorship, run by a wannabe dictator or allied against European interests. There are active wars ongoing in Europe and the Middle East, and potential wars on the horizon that will engage our interests or those of our allies.

As I have repeatedly said though. When this GDP % is put into the military it will be used in some form overseas. This is one of the dumbest strategic missteps of BRICS, and I don't think they can even see it, still to this day. Because they consider Europe tame or peaceful, but when all these resources are spent on the military it will be put to use in someway.

Edited July 19 by BlueOak

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

This would be a fairly justified reaction under normal circumstances. But not when the orcs, mohammeds and various other kinds of dictatorships basically join forces to challenge democracy worldwide

[Ajay0]

For centuries  men from the middle and lower classes in european kingdoms and nations used to go to the battlefield to fight and kill each other, while those from the upper aristocratic classes used to direct the military operations from a safe distance in luxurious camps, eager to make a name for themselves as a great general so as to impress the ladies and sycophant courtiers.

The wars usually killed thousands of the middle and lower classes, creating many widows and orphans in the process.

The two world wars which originated in europe also killed over a hundred million people.

This however had a positive in that it weakened european nations to the point that they could not hold on to their colonies in Asia, Africa and South America and which attained freedom.

However, at present, instead of the aristocratic classes, it seems to be the upper capitalist classes who seems to be directing the war to ensure optimal weapons sales and profits needed to finance their exorbitant lifesyles and luxury.

I remember reading and hearing of documentaries stating that the western upper classes abstain from the military, which is often composed of the middle and lower classes as usual and sent to the battlefied at risk of traumatic injury or death.

I think the western military industrial complex and plutocrats have replaced the aristocrats of old.

Perhaps if more of the upper classes are sent to the battlefield as well through compulsory military conscription, all these wars will lose their funding or backing, and quickly come to an end.