DISINFO: Demonstrators in Brussels condemn NATO
SUMMARY
Demonstrators in a massive protest against high living costs in the heart of the EU yelled “Stop NATO!”. Dozens of thousands took part in the protest, and many linked the crisis with the West's policies on Russia. Besides expressing their anger for the rise of living costs in Belgium, many condemned the NATO alliance led by the US and its participation in the conflict of Ukraine.
RESPONSE
The claim is false.
The demonstration that took place in Brussels on 20 June 2022 was organised by labour unions to call the Belgian government to take action to tackle inflation and rise wages, and although it can’t be ruled out that some anti-NATO protesters could have taken part on it, the protest was ostensibly unrelated to the conflict in Ukraine.
Attempts to link these demonstrations to a supposed anti-NATO sentiment are part of a wider disinformation campaign aiming to justify Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. This false allegation was also picked by China’s Global Times in a now-deleted tweet (archived here), and refuted by Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the food crisis is associated primarily with the sanctions of the US and the West, that the actions of Western countries led to the blockade of grain supplies, that people in the UK have become so poor they might start eating each other, or that NATO’s policy of unleashing conflicts leads to huge losses and humanitarian catastrophes.