Comrades,

 It is an honour for me to address you at this important meeting for the international working class.

Today I would like to address the connection between military wars, economic wars or global inequalities, migration, military spending on these wars, and the consequences for social services. This connection is fundamental to understanding the policies that affect us and to developing effective strategies for resistance and change.

A clear and current example is the disaster in the Valencian Community.

**Chronicle of a predicted disaster**

AEMET  warned days  in advance of the arrival of a ‘cold  front’. At 7:31 a.m. on the day of the tragedy, it issued a RED ALERT to protect the population and to halt activities.

However, this alert was not announced by the regional government until 8:00 p.m., when it was announced worldwide.

Nor did employers act; on the contrary, they used the regional government’s statements to  keep businesses open and send people to work. Companies like Ikea, Mercadona, Ford… 300 people were locked in the factory during the night and could not return home, as were transporters and workers who were locked in their cars.

The central government also failed to intervene in time.

The result: more than 200 dead, 1,900 missing, massive destruction of homes, industry and infrastructure.

This disaster was not an act of God or a mere consequence of climate change, but the result of criminal negligence. The authorities failed to act in time, and for years unplanned construction projects were approved in flood-prone areas, without any investment in preventive infrastructure.

At the same time, the military budget has increased steadily in recent years.  Funds are available, but they are spent on war and not on the well-being of the population.

This case perfectly illustrates the direct link between military spending on wars, the consequences for social services and migration:

Today, 100,000  volunteers provide assistance to the population,  provide care to the state and the autonomous communities that have not used our tax money wisely.

• Wars and poverty lead to mass migration.
• Disproportionate military spending reduces the ability of states to invest in public services and disaster relief. National budgets are dictated by NATO, prioritising investment in armaments over social needs.
• The lack of social investment worsens the living conditions of the population, both migrants and locals.
• Global and economic inequalities are deepening, fuelling a vicious circle of conflict and migration.
• Budget priorities must be reconsidered. We cannot continue to invest in armaments at the expense of social needs.
• For example: 9 billion for infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) weapons.
• Another example: housing. 900 euros for a flat, rooms at 700 euros and an SMI (minimum wage) of 1,100 euros.
•  Strengthen the unity of the working class and rejecting the division based on origin, ethnicity or nationality.
• Support for the immediate legalisation of half a million people known to be working in the black economy.
•  Defend democratic freedoms. It is necessary to create careful international media. If I believe the hegemonic media in my country, the alliance Sahra Wagenknecht is the devil’s party, the party of absolute evil. Anti-Semitic, pro-Putin, populist, etc.
•  Promote international solidarity and cooperation,  build support networks with workers‘ movements in other countries.

In recent days, we have seen how fifteen countries of the European Union, from the government of Giorgia Meloni in Italy to Keir Starmer of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, to the passivity of Pedro Sanchez and Yolanda Diaz in Spain, have called for a tougher policy  to expel immigrants. Even the British Labour leader Keir Starmer has indicated his intention to learn from Meloni how to deal with immigration.

The President of the European Commission has accepted proposals to set up concentration camps for migrants outside the EU, i.e.  outsource the asylum process for our colleagues and harsh repression.

This situation is not simply an action of the extreme right; it is a policy of attack and division of the working class. In hate speech, the migrant is presented as the cause of all social evils in order to distract from the real culprits: large speculative companies, vulture funds and neoliberal policies.

War is also a good excuse  to pursue anti-social policies.

Comrades, unity is our greatest strength. We must clearly understand and explain how military and economic wars, driven by capitalist interests, create migration and divert resources needed for our well-being.

Only by fighting together for democratic and social rights can we resist and reverse these unjust policies.

I invite everyone to actively participate in the debate to complement these proposals and strengthen our common struggle.

For the unity of the working class, for the defence of our rights and for the union of free peoples!

Thank you very much.