Image: “Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Art #1” by poplinre is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Tuesday 6 August 2024 marks 79 years since humans first used nuclear weapons against other humans. At 8:15 a.m., the time the A-bomb fissioned above Hiroshima, there will be 5 minutes of silence. That bomb alone killed about 140,000 human beings. This will be the 43st consecutive Hiroshima Day Vigil at Park Square.
According to the Nobel Peace Prize winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), there are over12,512 nuclear weapons on Earth today. Nine countries possess nuclear weapons: Russia, the United States, France, England, China, Pakistan, India, North Korea, and Israel. Russia with 5,899 and the U.S. with 5,244 have over 89% of them.
Five nations, Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Netherlands, “host” about 170 more U.S. nuclear weapons.
ICAN reports that in 2023 the nine countries with nuclear weapons spent $91.4 billion on those weapons, or $2,898 per second. Since 2019 these countries have spent a total of $387 billion “to build and maintain their nuclear arsenals.”
The U.S. plans to spend $2 trillion more on nuclear weapons over the next 30 years (averaging about $67 billion every year, or over $202 per person per year).
Stand together to remember the bombing of Hiroshima, rededicate to peace and justice. Event will have music, words, and prayer. Signs will be provided at the Park Square vigil, or people may bring their own. Pittsfield does not allow signs on sticks. Participants may stay for all or part of the hour.
Contact:
Marion Lathrop
518-781-4681
Tim Walter
413-634-8098
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