“A wonderful and encouraging start to a European peace movement”

By Jürgen Klute

“Welfare, not warfare” – this was the slogan of an international demonstration held in Brussels on 14 June against the EU’s plans for renewed rearmament in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine and the unpredictability of the US under President Donald Trump.

The demonstration was organised by the alliance “European movement against ReArm Europe”. The call to action was followed by left-wing parties, climate initiatives and trade unions from numerous European countries. From Belgium, various climate groups, Palestine solidarity groups, Iranian opposition groups, the Belgian socialist trade union federation FGTB-ABVV, healthcare workers and the PVDA-PTB took part. The Flemish Greens were represented by their chair, Aimen Horch. The chair of the Party of the European Left (EL), Walter Baier, was also present. Music groups helped to create a relaxed atmosphere. According to Baier, organisations and representatives from at least 14 countries took part in the protest march – including Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Foto: Hanna Penzer

According to the Instagram account of the Belgian party PVDA-PTB, around 12,000 people took part in the demonstration; according to the Brussels police, around 3,000 – which, in the author’s view, is a significant underestimate.

With this demonstration, the alliance “European movement against ReArm Europe” aims to stand up against what it sees as the irresponsible militarisation of European societies and against the European Union’s plans to spend an additional 800 billion euros on weapons.

According to the organisers, this money is being diverted from social services, healthcare, education, employment, peacebuilding, international cooperation, the sustainable energy transition and climate justice. Instead of being spent on the militarisation of society, the money should be invested in healthcare, education, decent work, the climate transition, social protection and conflict prevention. These demands were reflected in numerous languages on the demonstrators’ many placards and banners.

At the end of the demonstration, there was a small concert by the “Brussels Brecht Eislerkoor” on Place Jean Rey, in the immediate vicinity of the House of European History in Parc Leopold.

Foto: Hanna Penzer

From 6.00 pm, the alliance “European Movement Against the Rearmament of Europe” had invited opinion leaders and representatives of organisations to a meeting at the “Royal Library of Belgium” in the centre of Brussels. According to Walter Baier, representatives of the peace movement from Ukraine and Russia also took part, as well as representatives from Romania.

Walter Baiaer; Foto: J. Klute

As Baier went on to explain, further Europe-wide actions are planned for 2026. Among other things, there is to be a counter-summit against the NATO summit on 7 and 8 July in Ankara. A Europe-wide school strike against militarisation is planned for 20 November, with further actions at national level to follow on 21 and 22 November.

Baier told EuropaBlog that he viewed the demonstration and the subsequent rally as a “wonderful and encouraging start to a European peace movement. There was good cooperation between the older Social Forum generation and the younger generation.”

The demonstrators’ demands are also receiving support from the academic sector. Koert Debeuf, a lecturer in international relations at the ULB in Brussels, recently published a book entitled “Hoe een nieuwe Wereldoorlog voorkomen – 5 Inzichten om het Tij te keren” (How to prevent a new world war – 5 insights to turn the tide), in which he compares the current situation with that in the years leading up to the First and Second World Wars. In Debeuf’s view, comparable factors can be observed today that led to the two world wars of the past: deglobalisation, increased nationalism and a sharp rise in military spending. Debeuf therefore also calls for an immediate halt to current military spending. Instead, he proposes the establishment of a European defence force, which he believes would be structurally more efficient and could manage with significantly fewer than the current 3.3 million soldiers across the 27 separate armies of the EU member states. According to Debeuf, this would even allow for a significant reduction in defence spending. In addition, referring to the proposal made by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Munich Security Conference in January 2026, he suggests that the EU should establish close global cooperation with democratic states governed by the rule of law.

Foto: Hanna Penzer