Despite cold and rainy weather, protesters gathered under the banner of the “Stop NATO” network to oppose Sweden’s deepening integration into the military alliance and the country’s accelerating militarization.
The rally began in Furutorpsparken with speeches criticizing Sweden’s NATO membership, rising military expenditure and the broader escalation of international tensions. Zahira Sarhan, a representative of the SKP leadership, argued that growing militarization comes at the expense of the working class, while military expansion primarily benefits arms manufacturers and capitalist interests. She rejected the portrayal of NATO as a “defensive alliance,” describing it instead as a force linked to wars, destruction and imperialist interventions in regions such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Following the speeches, demonstrators marched through central Helsingborg before concluding the rally near the city terraces. Organizers stressed that opposition to NATO cannot be separated from opposition to capitalism and imperialism more broadly, presenting the struggle against militarization as part of a wider political and social struggle.
