Not Silent, Not Forgotten (Speech for the national protest against the NATO Summit 24/06/25)

 

Not Silent, Not Forgotten

by Ana Wijnen

My name is Ana Wijnen Calla. I was born in Bolivia and hold Dutch citizenship. I have lived in the Netherlands since I was 17. I work, I pay taxes, and I fulfill my responsibilities as a citizen.

I could begin by talking about numbers: it is estimated that each person in this country contributes around 1,400 euros a year to fund NATO. That adds up to more than 25 billion euros annually.
This summit alone costs the state an extra 185 million euros.
That money comes from our taxes — often taken from cuts in healthcare, education, and basic public services.
This directly affects ordinary people.
Maybe that’s why so many are here today. And that is completely legitimate.

But that is not the core of my message.
Today, I want to speak to you as  global citizens.
Because it’s time we take responsibility.

Being born in Europe is a privilege.
But that privilege comes at a cost.
If today you lack nothing, if you live in comfort, it is because Europe has grown rich at the expense of other peoples — in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Through colonialism, and through unfair trade agreements.

History is not over.
Maybe you weren’t there. But today, you benefit from its legacy.

And if you are upset that your money goes to NATO, you must know: that money is used to kill people.
People like you. Like me.
You were lucky to be born here. But that child who lost their mother, that father whose child was taken — that could be you.

Can you imagine that pain?
And if you can, how can you allow it?

When you accept that your money funds war, you become part of it.
NATO is not defense. NATO is not freedom. NATO is a war machine.

It’s time to look in the mirror. To recognize the other as yourself. To feel their pain.
And ask yourself: how does it feel to be complicit in someone’s death?

We cannot stay silent. We cannot forget.
But no one wins a struggle alone.

Once, at a conference, someone asked me:
“Why are you a Chavista if you’re Bolivian?”
And I answered:
How could I not be, if that revolution is also mine?
Just like I am Palestinian, I am Iranian, I am Cuban — if needed.
Because people’s revolutions are what truly shift history.

In my country, the people have overthrown corrupt governments more than once.
And they will do it again.

But if we want real transformation, we must fight together.
I know that’s difficult in this society — but it’s not impossible.

Only side by side, without hierarchy, with respect and mutual love, can we change the course of things.