Hundreds take to the streets of the Hague in demonstration against NATO days before major summit

Peace activists gathered in The Hague on Sunday to protest against NATO and increase defense spending, two days before the alliance's leaders gather there for a summit.

The protesters were joined by members of the Iranian diaspora who stood against the ongoing war in the region, which has escalated amid U.S. involvement.

If there is now a compensation from Iran, which according to international law would be just or legitimate, then we as the Netherlands are also at war with Iran.

Because an attack on one is an attack on all.

And that is what has happened now.

The heaviest possible bomb has fallen on Iran six times this night.

The next step is an atomic war.

And that is what we are very worried about.

And why we also see that the moment you buy more weapons, the chances are getting bigger that you will use them once.

And that is life-threatening.

Organizers say around 5,000 people gathered in The Hague today to protest against the upcoming NATO summit.

There did not seem to be a major shift in the activists' message towards the ongoing conflict in Iran, despite the now confirmed U.S. involvement.

They did reiterate their belief that NATO is in fact not a defensive alliance, indicated now by the active participation of NATO's largest member state.

There are a handful of protests registered throughout the week, but they're not expected to be quite as large as this one because of the strict security measures in place around the summit venue.

Emma de Ruizer for your news from The Hague.