Pedro Sánchez and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Rally Global Left in Barcelona Against Far Right

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez used a Barcelona platform to frame Europe’s political moment as a contest between a “reactionary wave” and a renewed progressive response, while global leftist leaders gathered for meetings billed as a defense of democracy and a counter to far-right momentum.

Reuters described the gatherings as being spearheaded by “Spain's Pedro Sanchez and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva” in Barcelona on Friday and Saturday, with organizers saying the aim was to “defend multilateralism” and mobilise left-wing movements against the far right.

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Euronews reported that Sánchez rallied global leaders in Barcelona at a two-day convention “billed as the ‘progressive CPAC,’” and that in a Saturday speech he warned of an international “reactionary wave” fuelling “hate speech, sexism, war and division.”

Le Monde characterized the summit as “not officially billed as an anti-Trump summit, but it certainly looked like one,” and placed it in a sequence of initiatives launched in 2024 by Brazil and Spain with support from Colombia and Chile.

France 24 similarly said Sánchez and Lula were set to co-chair a meeting in Barcelona “seeking to rally against the threat to democracy from the far right,” and noted that it brought together figures from across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

The Journal added that the gathering was described as an “anti-MAGA moment” by another attendee and that it was convened by Sánchez and Lula, with leaders including Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.

In parallel, POLITICO reported that more than 3,000 participants from over 100 organizations were convening in Barcelona for the launch of the “Global Progressive Mobilization,” and that the event was designed to strengthen international cooperation among left-leaning parties and activists.

Across multiple outlets, Sánchez’s Barcelona remarks were presented as a direct challenge to Donald Trump’s approach to democracy, tariffs and war, even when speakers avoided naming him.

Euronews said Sánchez warned of an international “reactionary wave” fuelling “hate speech, sexism, war and division,” and quoted him saying, “It doesn't matter how much they scream, or how many lies they spread,” before adding, “The time for the reactionary, ultra-right has come to an end.”

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EL PAÍS English described Sánchez’s speech to the plenary session of the Global Progressive Mobilization (MPG) forum, quoting him as saying, “The far‑right international and its servile right wing are lacking in inspiring ideas. They make a lot of noise. But they aren’t shouting because they’re winning. They’re shouting because they know their time is running.”

The Journal reported that Sánchez told delegates “democracy cannot be taken for granted” and later wrote on social media, “There are moments when history asks us which side we’re on. We, from Barcelona, respond: on the side of those who know that democracy is not inherited, it is conquered every day,” while also saying, “On the side of those who know that without international law there is no peace and without peace there is no progress. None of this is entirely out of step with Ireland’s traditional support for international law and multilateralism.”

Hungarian Conservative quoted Sánchez vowing to “twist the arm of the far-right forces” and included his line, “We willtwist the armof the people who think they are completely untouchable,” while also saying the far right’s numbers “betrayed weakness rather than strength.”

Le Monde framed Lula’s remarks as the most direct, quoting him: “We cannot get up every morning or go to bed every night waiting for a tweet from a president threatening the world,” and adding, “No president of any country in the world, no matter how great, has the right to continue imposing their rules on other countries. None.”

Reuters and Euronews both tied the Barcelona agenda to mobilizing against far-right advances, with Reuters saying the meetings were in a bid to “mobilise left-wing movements against the far right” and Euronews noting that references to Trump surfaced repeatedly even without explicit naming.

The Barcelona gatherings drew a cross-section of European political figures alongside leaders from other regions, and outlets listed attendees and their roles in ways that underscored how the event was meant to function as a transnational network.

Euronews said the guest list included South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and it reported that a European delegation included German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Italy’s opposition leader Elly Schlein, and Belgian politician Paul Magnette.

Euronews also reported that Tax-the-rich economist Gabriel Zucman was in attendance, while European Council President António Costa cancelled at the last minute, citing personal reasons.

POLITICO described the Barcelona program as including a leaders’ dinner on Friday followed by a day of events featuring Socialist group chief Iratxe García and European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera as well as Lula, Ramaphosa and Sheinbaum.

France 24 said the meeting would bring together “figures from across Europe, Africa and Latin America,” and listed among those scheduled to attend South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum and European Council chief Antonio Costa.

The Journal added a new European dimension by describing President Catherine Connolly’s first overseas trip and saying the summit had been described as an “anti-MAGA moment” by another attendee just minutes beforehand.

Hungarian Conservative further expanded the roster by naming Alex Soros, son of Open Society Foundations founder George Soros, as present at the conference and by describing the GPM as a newly launched project analogous to CPAC.

While the core storyline across outlets centered on a Barcelona gathering of left-wing leaders opposing far-right advances, the reporting diverged in how it framed the summit’s purpose and its relationship to Donald Trump.

Le Monde emphasized that the meeting was “not officially billed as an anti-Trump summit, but it certainly looked like one,” and it described Lula’s direct critique of waiting for “a tweet from a president threatening the world,” while also noting that the initiative was part of a broader effort launched in 2024 by Brazil and Spain with support from Colombia and Chile.

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Euronews, by contrast, described the conference as a “progressive CPAC” and said Sánchez rallied global leaders in Barcelona “opposing MAGA politics,” while also quoting him that “The time for the reactionary, ultra-right has come to an end.”

Fox News framed the same Barcelona context as a political strategy under scrutiny, saying Sánchez tried to position himself as the “European counterweight to President Donald Trump” but that “his motives are being questioned by critics,” and it quoted Sánchez’s “No to the war” line while also reporting Trump’s Truth Social attack that asked, “Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing.”

Hungarian Conservative presented the summit as a “coordinated international pushback” against a “globalized far-right movement,” and it quoted Sánchez saying, “We willtwist the armof the people who think they are completely untouchable,” while also describing the GPM as analogous to CPAC.

EL PAÍS English framed the event as a progressive attempt to “resist and counterattack” after “many setbacks,” and it quoted Sánchez arguing that the far right “aren’t shouting because they’re winning” but because “their time is running out,” while also quoting Cyril Ramaphosa that “This moment of grave crisis is, at the same time, a moment of unique opportunity.”

Reuters offered a more institutional description, saying the meetings were organized by Spain and left-wing political networks and were aimed at defending multilateralism and mobilising left-wing movements against the far right.

The Barcelona summit was repeatedly linked in the reporting to near-term political consequences in Europe and to the broader stakes of democratic governance, multilateral institutions and election outcomes.

France 24 said the Barcelona gathering would be held on the same day as a meeting of far-right European leaders in Milan and that it followed the defeat of Hungarian nationalist leader Viktor Orban in a general election on Sunday, which it described as a setback for Europe’s far-right parties that had looked to him as a model.

Euronews

EL PAÍS English similarly cited “Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Hungary” and said progressive forces saw it alongside “the failure of the referendum promoted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni” and “progressive gains in major French cities in the municipal elections.”

Reuters reported that Europe’s far right lost one of its biggest champions with the defeat of Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban and quoted Sánchez hailing that “the wave can be stopped, and Hungary proves it,” while also describing the event as a “wake-up call for European socialists after the far-right surge in EU elections in 2024.”

POLITICO added a forward-looking political dimension by saying Sánchez could be eyeing a future role in Brussels and that he might challenge European Council President António Costa when the post comes up for mid-term review in 2027, while also noting that Spain is due to hold elections by 2027.

The Journal tied the summit’s stakes to international law and accountability, quoting Connolly’s warning that the world is drifting towards a “might is right” approach and that “UN institutions are being undermined, where international courts are under pressure, and where violations are increasingly tolerated.”

Euronews connected the event to ongoing policy fights, including a US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement “under review by the Trump administration,” and it reported that progressive leaders called for a progressive response to a “reactionary wave” spanning tariffs and the war in Iran.