August 6 is the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. August 9 is the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. Civil society groups around the world are taking action on these days to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Join the Chain Reaction. Plan your action/event for Hiroshima or Nagasaki Day. Here are some examples of actions/events already planned:
A nuclear-weapon-free world; Our Common Good.
Ask your parliamentarian, mayor or religious leader to endorse the joint statement released on Hiroshima Day last year by Religions for Peace, Mayors for Peace and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.
The statement has already been presented to the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Open Ended Working Group. The next plan of the organisers is to present it to the new UN Secretary-General after she is elected in October. The joint statement is available in Arabic, English, French , German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Click here for the current list of endorsers.
World Conference on A Nuclear Weapon-Free, Peaceful and Just World
Gensuikyo will hold their annual conference on A Nuclear Weapon-Free, Peaceful and Just World in Hiroshima and Nagasaki from August 1-10. The conference includes participation in the Hiroshima Memorial ceremony on August 6 and the Nagasaki Memorial ceremony on August 9. To participate in the conference contact intl@antiatom.org.
Fasts for nuclear abolition
For the 32nd consecutive year worldwide, peace protesters in many different countries will be fasting from Hiroshima to Nagasaki days. The fast is a non-violent tradition to pause, reflect, create empathy with those who have suffered by nuclear weapons, and make a stand for nuclear abolition. The International Fast to Abolish Nuclear Weapons will hold fasts in Berlin, Bordeaux-Mégajoule, Büchel (nuclear weapons base in Germany), Livermore (nuclear weapons lab), Los Alamos (nuclear weapons lab), Lagos, Lome, London, Paris and other places. To organise and register a fast, please contact Dominique Lalanne, do.lalanne@wanadoo.fr.
Bike around the Bomb.
Global Zero is planning a number of Bike rides around the bomb in cities in India, Pakistan and the United States. The bike rides trace the perimeter of destruction that would be caused by a nuclear bomb size of the one that was dropped on Hiroshima. Click here to find out if there is a bike ride in your city. Can’t find one near you? Start your own event and Global Zero will help you organize it!
Call for one minutes silence at opening of the Olympic Games
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be held on August 5 in Brazil. At that time it will be August 6 in Japan, the anniversary of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. Mayors for Peace has requested the Olympic Committee to observe a minutes silence for nuclear victims and nuclear abolition during the opening ceremony. The Olympic Committee has replied that they cannot disrupt the opening ceremony, but will provide a ‘place of mourning within the Olympic Village during the period of the Olympic Games, which will allow athletes and all those in the Olympic Village to mourn those who have passed away, in a special and dignified way.’
Click here to sign the petition supporting the call of Mayors for Peace.
Peoples Tribunal on Nuclear Weapons and the Destruction of Human Civilisation
On August 9, the judges of the International Peoples’ Tribunal on Nuclear Weapons and the Destruction of Human Civilisation will deliver their verdict at a special sitting of the tribunal in Sydney. The leaders (presidents or prime ministers) of the nine nuclear-armed States have been charged with crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, crimes against future generations, and other violations of international law arising from their responsibility over policies to use and threaten to use nuclear weapons. In addition, the prime minster of Australia was charged with aiding and abetting such crimes.
Chain Reaction 2016 event from the Chain Reaction sculpture
On August 9, Physicians for Social Responsibility (Los Angeles) will hold a candle-light vigil for peace and nuclear disarmament at the Chain Reaction sculpture in Santa Monica Civic Center. For more information contact jerrypeaceactivistrubin@earthlink.net.
Origami crane making – Fold a crane for peace. Give it to a friend or stranger.
It is believed that folding 1,000 origami cranes brings one a peaceful and healthy life. Following the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, origami crane folding became an action for peace and nuclear abolition, particularly for young people. This arose from the story of Sadako Sasaki, a child at the time of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Sadako contracted leukaemia from the radioactive fallout. She tried to make 1000 cranes but passed away before she could finish. Her classmates finished the 1000 cranes for her, and then made crane making their message for peace. They raised funds for a memorial to Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Park. Origami crane making is now taught in schools around the world.
Action: Organise a crane-making workshop at your local school, youth group, workplace or place of worship.
Resources:
– Video on folding a paper crane;
– The story of Sadako and the 1000 origami cranes;
– The Peace Crane Project.
United Religions Initiative prayer for Hiroshima/Nagasaki Days
United Religions Initiative invites everyone to join with friends, neighbors, co-workers, members of your faith community and people around the world at anytime between August 5th and 8th to recite The Nuclear Prayer. Click here for video of prominent people reciting the prayer. For more information about URI prayer circles for nuclear disarmament see www.thenuclearprayer.org
Other events for Hiroshima/Nagasaki Day
There are many other actions and events occurring around the world. These include concerts, peace walks, vigils, origami crane making, poetry readings, lantern floating… For a list of these see Chain Reaction 2016 events.