By Yiming Woo
THE HAGUE (Reuters) -An anti-NATO protest in The Hague on Sunday shifted its focus to Iran after overnight U.S. strikes hit key nuclear sites there.
The peaceful demonstration took place days before The Hague hosts a NATO summit.
The planned protest against NATO’s military policies pivoted to condemnation of the U.S. attacks on Iran, with participants voicing concern about rising tensions in the Middle East.
Thousands marched toward the Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice, a Reuters witness said. Organizers estimated the crowd at 5,000, while police said they do not track attendance numbers.
Protesters carried banners calling for de-escalation, diplomacy, and for NATO to be disbanded, with some saying “No Iran War” and “Hands off Iran”.
Iranian protester Nikita Shahbazi told Reuters it was “heartbreaking” to see what is going on in her home country.
“I feel devastated. (The U.S. attacks) can trigger a wider war. It has opened the paths for illegal attacks on nuclear installations everywhere in the world.”
Protesters also opposed a proposed 5% defence spending target pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump and backed by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who hopes to secure consensus at the summit, beginning on Wednesday.
“There’s no need for this provocation, this 5% of GDP spending on weapons, that will benefit the military-industrial complex. This has nothing to do with the needs of people,” said British protester Pippa Bartolotti.
(Reporting by Yiming Woo, Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by Giles Elgood)
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