“Let’s work to abolish NATO”

Written by: Daniel Reech

On Saturday, June 25, a group of roughly 30 protesters marched from Regina City Hall (Regina is a city in Saskatchewan, a Canadian province) to the Cenotaph in Victoria Park in anticipation of the NATO summit that was held in Madrid. The marchers carried signs with them, some of them read “No to NATO yes to Peace” and “Canada out of NATO”.

The march and subsequent rally were organized by the Regina Peace Council, an anti-imperialist organization that advocates for peace and disarmament. It also featured members of Making Peace Vigil and Peace Quest Regina.

The protesters gathered to show their opposition to the expansion of NATO and called for Canada to leave said alliance. They also highlighted its role in causing and prolonging the war in Ukraine. People from Melville, Indian Head and Lanigan were in attendance.

Once they convened at the Cenotaph, emcee Asaad Abdulraziq began to introduce speakers for the event. It was a very windy day, yet several onlookers stopped by to observe and listen throughout.

“The main victims in this struggle for power between US and NATO on the one hand and Russia on the other, are of course, the people of Ukraine,” said peace and justice activist Florence Stratton to the crowd via microphone.

“What about the endlessly repeated claim that Russia is the sole cause of the war in Ukraine, that Russia and its leader are evil and we NATO countries are good? It is a false dichotomy, a form of self-deception. It is also a strategy of war as it works to justify NATO expansion and the west’s refusal to engage in serious negotiations with the Russians to end the war.”

Lifelong peace activist and head of the Regina Peace Council Ed Lehman decried Canada’s role in NATO and condemned several prominent Canadian political parties (Green Party, NDP, Conservatives and Liberals) for their steady support of the military alliance.

“Who is NATO really? It’s the United States and allies,” he said. “Most of the influence is with the American corporate sector. That is who NATO is operating for and when the Canadian government agrees to continue [to be] part of NATO they are continuing to represent the corporate sector of this country.”

Roberto Santender, a Regina resident who was once a political prisoner under Pinochet’s government in Chile in the 1970s, called for international solidarity and cooperation.

“I want peace for the world, I am against NATO,” Santender said. He called NATO a force that “creates hate” and is “destroying countries.”

Renee Nunan-Rappard from Lanigan says the war is having effects far beyond Ukraine. “Mainly in the global south,” she said. “Nations that are pushing to prolong this war are not the ones who will be bearing the brunt of the suffering, but they are the ones collaborating with weapons manufacturers.”

Nunan-Rappard elaborated on how the war has disrupted supply chains and caused a hike in food and energy costs.

Political scientist and educator Bernie Gruel provided a detailed history of NATO and its objectives and said “Its very formation and its existence is an anathema to the freedom loving peoples of the world.”

Towards the end of the rally the crowd began to chant “Canada out of NATO.”

“In the name of truth, peace and justice let’s work to abolish NATO. Let’s also work for justice at home on Treaty 4 territories,” said Stratton.

Daniel Reech is a Saskatchewan-based journalist, who is part of University of Regina’s Journalism School Class of 2022. Reech is interested in politics, sports and labour issues.

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