Spain mobilized 10,000 police officers, the largest device in more than 45 years of democracy, to guarantee security during the NATO summit in Madrid, which is being held from June 28 to 30.
But the security operation already has its first big test on Sunday, with a demonstration against the Atlantic Alliance called for noon in Madrid by a platform that brings together civil society movements, unions and parties, including far-left political forces from which they are part of. of the government coalition in Spain, led by the socialists.
The device mobilized these days to guarantee security in Madrid and Spain takes into account, according to Spanish government sources cited by local media, three threats: Islamic terrorism, Russian cyberattacks and the so-called “anti-systemic attack”. groups”. ”, which can rush into the city and cause disturbances.
It is this last threat that could be more present on Sunday at the Madrid demonstration, although the same sources quoted in the Spanish media, for a few days, assure that there is not a high level of alert regarding this possibility.
The organizers of the demonstration have called on people from all over the country and Europe to participate, but have not disclosed the expected number of participants. The same platform had called for a second demonstration for Wednesday, in the middle of the summit, but it was not authorized.
Regarding the terrorist threat, Spain currently maintains level 4 (on a scale of 5) which has been maintained for years and which corresponds to a “high risk”. A Russian cyberattack during the NATO summit is “a possibility” that “effectively” exists, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Friday.
The minister added that “for security reasons” she could not add anything other than to ensure that “the issue of security is being worked on very seriously in all areas, on the ground and in the air”.
Spain gave the name “Operation Eirene”, name of the Greek goddess of peace, to the security device that it installed for the NATO summit, a deliberate choice for the meeting, in which delegations from 44 countries and 40 heads participated. of State and Government, take place in the context of the war in Ukraine, after the Russian invasion on February 24.
In the next few days, security guards and escorts from the delegations will join the 10,000 policemen, as well as soldiers from the Spanish Air Force, who will be in charge of controlling the airspace, with the help of teams from NATO itself, with a concern with ‘drones’ (unmanned aircraft).
The main arteries of the city will be closed to traffic or subject to restrictions this week, until the last foreign delegation leaves Madrid. The Feira de Madrid metro station, where the summit will be held, is already closed, as are the surroundings of the venue, which can only be accessed by authorized persons. And even the Prado Museum, the scene of one of the summit dinners, will remain closed for two days.
The authorities asked for teleworking between Tuesday and Thursday and for the Madrid population to travel around the city as little as possible on those days, and, when necessary, to use public transport.
When they presented the security device for the summit, the Spanish authorities said that it is the largest in the history of democracy, surpassing that of the previous NATO summit in Madrid, in 1997, the World Youth Days, in 2011, with Pope Benedict XVI. and that of the great national events, such as the wedding of the current King, in 2004, or the day of the assumption of Felipe VI as head of State, in 2014.
Source: Observadora
