You are invited to mark the 79th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this Tuesday 6 August

Remember the 1945 US Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Tuesday 6 August marks 79 years since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, and 40 years since this act of gross destruction was first commemorated in Hastings. Erica Smith reminds us of what happened in 1945 and why it’s important to stop more weapons of mass destruction being used against innocent people.

On Tuesday 6 August, at 8:30pm people will gather around the Boating Pond in Alexandra Park, Hastings to light lanterns in a ceremony to remember the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The lantern ceremony is held by people of peace all over the world, with the pledge: “Never Again!”.

What happened 79 years ago?

On 6 August 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped a nuclear bomb over the
centre of Hiroshima, Japan. It exploded 600 metres above the city with a blast
equivalent to about 15,000 tons (15 kilotons) of high explosive TNT. This instantly
killed an estimated 70,000 people. By the end of 1945, thousands more had died
from their injuries and radiation poisoning, bringing the total killed in Hiroshima to around 140,000.

Three days later, on 9 August 1945, another B-29 dropped a second atomic bomb
on Nagasaki. The resulting explosion had a blast equivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT.
The estimates for immediate deaths range from 40,000 to 75,000 of Nagasaki’s
240,000 residents. Total deaths by the end of 1945 may have reached 80,000.

What is the current situation?

There are now over 15,000 nuclear warheads, all many times more powerful than
the Hiroshima bomb. They are irrelevant for today’s security needs and any use
would be suicidal. With the entry into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2021, nuclear weapons are illegal under international
law. The treaty prohibits developing, testing, manufacturing, transferring,
possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons. Not only has
the UK government rejected the treaty, it is planning to upgrade its nuclear
weapon system and increase the warheads in its arsenal by 40%, which is a clear
breach of its obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), that requires it to commit to disarm. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
there has been much talk of the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons. This is
dangerously irresponsible and emphasises the need for abolition now. The only
safe world is one without nuclear weapons.

What you can do

Join the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at http://www.cnduk.org

• Pressure the government to engage with the treaty. See the InternationalCampaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons at http://uk.icanw.org
• Tell family and friends and ask at school or college for a CND educational visit.Email educationoutreach@cnduk.org.
• Join your local peace group: XR Peace Hastings and St Leonards (formerlyHastings Against War). Check out the website.
• Write to your MP to say you want the UK government to sign the TPNW, and that you reject a defence policy based on the readiness to incinerate millions of innocent civilians and inflict unspeakable suffering on survivors.

The lantern ceremony will begin at 8.30pm on Tuesday 6 August 2024 by the Boating Pond in Alexandra Park, Hastings. You are all welcome to attend.

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