Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to ‘twist the arm of the far-right forces’ seeking to dismantle the international order, speaking at a left-wing gathering, the Global Progressive Mobilization (GPM) conference, in Barcelona, Spain.
Sánchez, who has emerged as one of the strongest European voices opposing US President Donald Trump on tariffs and the Iran war, as well as the situation at the Strait of Hormuz, framed these developments—coupled with the strengthening of what he described as ‘far-right’ forces in Europe—as contributing to a ‘broad erosion of multilateral institutions’.
He urged the global left to respond, portraying the GPM as a ‘coordinated international pushback’ against a ‘globalized far-right movement’. ‘We will twist the arm of the people who think they are completely untouchable,’ Sánchez said, adding that although ‘the far right was organizing internationally’, its numbers ‘betrayed weakness rather than strength’.
The GPM is a newly launched project aimed at bringing together left-wing, liberal, and progressive leaders, politicians, activists, and intellectuals to strengthen their global network. It is best understood as analogous to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which originated in the US with similar aims on the conservative side: both function as transnational ideological hubs designed to build networks, shape narratives, and signal political momentum. CPAC has been organized in an increasing number of countries outside the US, including Brazil, Hungary, and Poland, and from 2027, in the United Kingdom as well.
Organized by existing left-wing networks such as the Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists, the first GPM, held over the weekend in Barcelona, featured world leaders alongside Sánchez, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Alex Soros, son of Open Society Foundations founder George Soros, was also present at the conference.
Less than a week before the first GPM was held, the European right suffered a heavy and symbolic loss. The Tisza Party, led by former Fidesz insider Péter Magyar, secured a landslide victory against Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz–KDNP governing alliance, ending his 16 years in power.
During this period, Orbán became a leading figure of the broader European sovereigntist movement, co-founding Patriots for Europe (PfE), now the third-largest political group in the European Parliament. Hungary under Orbán became a model of right-wing governance, emphasizing strong borders, support for families, and traditional values. The outgoing prime minister also became a prominent figure within Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
Western mainstream and left-wing media, as well as politicians, welcomed Orbán’s defeat with visible joy, framing it as a setback for the broader global right-wing populist movement and a victory for liberal democracy.
Under Sánchez, Spain has already become one of the most progressive countries in Europe, with highly liberalized policies on migration, euthanasia, abortion, gender and LGBTQ+ issues. The Trump administration has recently clashed with Madrid once again over the controversial case of Noelia Castillo, a 25-year-old Spanish rape victim who died by euthanasia, with Washington alleging serious human rights concerns regarding her state-assisted death.
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