Pedro Sánchez has once again placed the "no to war" at the center of his political discourse ahead of the general elections on November 29. The president of the Government and secretary general of the PSOE has published on his social media a video featuring the Guernica by Pablo Picasso, one of the most internationally recognized works as a symbol against war violence, to claim Spain's position on conflicts such as those in Palestine, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
The publication, accompanied by the slogan "The light of our values", seeks to relate Spanish historical memory with the international positions defended by the Executive in recent years. Sánchez accompanies the images with a message in which he insists that the defense of human rights must be applied consistently, regardless of the country or the conflict.
Durante estos años, España ha defendido en el mundo el sentir de su gente: que ninguna guerra es inevitable, que ninguna vida vale menos que otra.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) October 24, 2026
Los mismos principios. En todos los conflictos. Sin dobles raseros. pic.twitter.com/b2J1uHCYjf
"During these years, Spain has defended in the world the feelings of its people: that no war is inevitable, that no life is worth less than another. The same principles. In all conflicts. Without double standards", the president points out on his official account on X.
The video is incorporated into the digital communication strategy of the PSOE in the midst of the electoral pre-campaign, after Sánchez has resorted in different public interventions to the defense of peace to claim his international management.
The Guernica by Picasso, a symbol against war
The choice of Guernica is not casual. Pablo Picasso painted the work in 1937, after the bombing of the Biscayan town of Gernika during the Spanish Civil War, carried out by German and Italian air forces supporting the rebel side. The painting was presented that same year at the Spanish Republic pavilion of the International Exhibition in Paris and ended up becoming a universal symbol of the suffering of the civilian population during armed conflicts.
Currently exhibited at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, the canvas represents the horror of war through human and animal figures marked by pain and destruction. Its use in the video allows the president to connect that historical episode with his message about the victims of current conflicts.
The recourse to this work also reinforces an idea that Sánchez has repeated in recent months: the defense of peace and international law as central elements of Spanish foreign policy.
Palestine, Ukraine, and Iran: the international position that Sánchez advocates
The message published by the president links to some of the main decisions adopted by his Government in foreign policy. One of the most relevant was the official recognition of the State of Palestine on May 28, 2024, a decision that the Executive justified as a contribution to a peaceful solution based on the coexistence of two States.
Since then, Sánchez has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of the civilian population, and respect for international humanitarian law. He has also maintained Spanish support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
These positions have been joined during 2026 by their rejection of the military escalation in Iran, especially after the attacks by the United States and Israel and the subsequent Iranian response. In March, the president publicly revived the slogan "No to war", associated in Spain with the mobilizations against the invasion of Iraq in 2003, to defend a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
With the new video, Sánchez aims to present these decisions as part of a single line of action based, according to his own speech, on the protection of human lives and the application of common criteria in the face of wars.
The "no to war" enters the PSOE electoral campaign
The publication comes at a time of intense political activity, with just over five weeks left until the general elections on November 29. In recent days, the PSOE has strengthened its communication on social media with videos focused on its government record, social rights, and its differences with the Popular Party and Vox.
On October 21, Sánchez already featured in another publication in which he claimed to be "leftist and proud", coinciding with the visit of Argentine President Javier Milei to Spain. In that intervention, he linked progressive identity with measures such as the increase in pensions, the minimum wage, family leave, and the defense of the right to abortion, in addition to his rejection of war.
Foreign policy thus becomes another of the issues that the PSOE is using to mark differences with its electoral opponents. Sánchez has previously accused Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal of holding positions too close to those of Donald Trump in certain conflicts, while the Popular Party has questioned various aspects of the Government's international actions.
With the Guernica as the protagonist, the president now recovers an image of strong historical significance to insist on his pre-campaign message: the defense of peace, human life, and international law as values that, he claims, Spain must apply without exceptions or double standards.