Jan Majicek of Socialisticka Solidarite, Czech Republic said the US and NATO have put the squeeze on countries for more money for NATO wars. He said that NATO "dues" for his country was increasing by 25% or 450 million euros which is two and one-half times the budget for healthcare in the Czech Republic.
Ann Wright spoke of worldwide US imperialism with US influence in its pivot to Asia and the Pacific and her recent trips to Jeju Island, South Korea and Okinawa, Japan where local opposition to US militarism is very strong. She also spoke of a recent trip to Russia, including the Crimea. Russian citizens do not want military confrontation, but they also want their country to be respected.
Four members of the German Parliament from the Left Party (Die LINKE) attended the conference. Left Party member Wolfgang Gehrcke described the debate in the German Parliament last week on the German role in NATO as much more open and frank that anyone had thought possible. Sahra Wagenknect, the leader of the Left Party, said that NATO is increasing the danger of war in Europe, that the costs in weapons of the member states of NATO are 13 times higher than the Russian military budget and rearming of NATO "has increased the risk of military confrontation with Russia."
Ilya Budraiskis of the Russian Socialist Movement said that the NATO threat to Russia gives the Russian government the excuse to clap down on dissent and those working for more open political space.
The Russian government recently passed a controversial package of counterterrorism measures, including tougher sentences for extremism and heightened electronic surveillance of Russian citizens, requiring telecom operators to store recordings of their customers' phone calls and text messages for six months and order messaging services such as Facebook and Telegram to provide decryption keys to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
Russia-phobia makes opposition to NATO difficult in Poland
The Polish government and much of the Polish people are solidly behind NATO which made planning the Alternative Conference difficult for the local organizers.
The coup against the pro-Russian government in the Ukraine and the Russian response of annexation of Crimea to has given governments -- US, Russia, and NATO countries -- the opportunity to spend more on war weapons and create a very hostile climate for any opposition to their actions. In Poland, opposition to NATO is characterized as communist-inspired, crazy, Russian loving, West-hating people.
Our international delegation was very proud to be with those in Poland that are willing to challenge their government's wholesale acceptance of NATO's ambitions in Eastern Europe.
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