Sanchez and Lula lead global left summit in Barcelona

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is hosting the "In Defense of Democracy" summit in Barcelona this Friday and Saturday, gathering approximately 15 world leaders who have formed a progressive front against right-wing radicalism and U.S. President Donald Trump. The initiative, co-founded by Sánchez and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will hold its fourth meeting in the Catalan capital with the participation of presidents from Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum; and South Africa, among other center-left leaders, to demand "respect for the international rules-based order." Notably absent from the summit are prominent European progressive prime ministers, including Britain's Keir Starmer and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen. In response to the summit, Barcelona's Popular Party (PP) launched a controversial billboard campaign throughout the city targeting the approximately 3,000 summit participants. Led by PP Barcelona group president Daniel Sirera, the billboards feature provocative messages including "In Sánchez's Spain, socialist ministers hire their prostitutes at public companies" alongside statistics highlighting the city's social challenges: an average of 281 daily robberies, four sexual assaults reported daily, 2,400 people living on the streets, and more than 40% of children at risk of poverty. Sirera declared that "thanks to the management of the governments of Pedro Sánchez, Salvador Illa, and Mayor Jaume Collboni, Barcelona has become the most insecure city in Spain," adding that "Barcelona is proof of the failure of left-wing policies." Sirera criticized what he called the failure of leftist housing policies, which he said make purchasing or renting an apartment nearly impossible, and suggested that Sánchez would avoid the city's streets during the summit. The "In Defense of Democracy" initiative was established as a coordinated response from center-left governments to counter the rise of right-wing radicalism globally, with the current gathering representing the most significant international diplomatic event hosted by Spain in recent years.