Veterans for Peace-Chapter 34 (NYC), Granny Peace Brigade, Hibakusha Stories/Youth Arts New York, NYC Metro Raging Grannies, NYC War Resisters League, Pax Christi Metro New York, Peace Action Fund of New York State, The Ribbon International, Green Party of New York County, and Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World present:
Peace Gathering to Commemorate 75th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a global online event via Zoom on August 5, 2020 at 9:30AM (Eastern)/ 8:30AM (Central)/ 7:30AM (Mountain)/ 6:30AM (Pacific)/ 10:30PM (Japan).
Contact: Mari Inoue at [email protected]
WHEN: Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 9:30AM Eastern Time (10:30PM Japan Time).
WHERE: Online – Please register in advance at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlcOGsrjIqHNbEAcnUhVYHiMpOzistn-K6
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the online meeting.
WHAT:
We have been co-organizing a peace gathering in front of the Japanese Consulate in NYC every August since 2015. This year, we will hold an online peace event via Zoom on August 5, 2020 to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We will share a message of peace with audiences from different cities. We will also have songs and music from groups in New York City and Nagasaki. Please join us!
75 years have passed since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is estimated that the bombs killed 210,000 citizens by the end of 1945 and, over the years, have ruined the health of many of the survivors. The average age of the Hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, is now over 82 years old, and many of them are still suffering from terrible health issues. To honor the memory of those who were killed by the atomic bombings, a coalition of peace groups and individuals will gather online.
The coalition supports the commitment of the Japanese people to protect their peace constitution by retaining Article 9*. It encourages them in their continued opposition to Japan’s reliance on the U.S.-Japan military alliance and the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
The coalition’s conviction is that nuclear weapons must never be used again against any nation under any circumstances. The message of peace from Hibakusha to the people of the world is an appeal for all to realize a world free of nuclear weapons.
* Article 9 of Japanese Constitution:
(1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
(2) To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.