Overview
- Barcelona hosted a weekend summit that drew roughly 6,000 progressive officials and activists from more than 40 countries, with leaders such as Brazil’s Lula da Silva, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro in attendance.
- Organizers said a joint declaration is in the works, while participants floated concrete steps including coordinating wealth taxes and creating an International Panel on Inequality that South Africa plans to take to the UN General Assembly in September.
- Spain’s restriction on U.S. use of jointly operated bases for Iran‑related operations set the backdrop for the gathering, and Trump attacked Spain on Saturday on Truth Social over its economy and NATO contributions.
- Sánchez sharpened his message with a vow to “twist the arm” of elites he blamed for inequality and disinformation, and he pressed for tighter social media rules and climate and digital policy reforms.
- A Madrid judge has formally charged Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, with corruption, and the summit faced external pressure as Israeli officials rebuked calls to downgrade EU‑Israel ties and critics reported filing legal complaints over alleged Spain‑Iran technology exports.