Scottish activists mark 80 years since atomic bombings

The National

a day ago

A vigil, organised by the Glasgow branch of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), was held at the opening of the "Peace Garden" in the city's Botanic Gardens on Wednesday morning.
Campaigners held banners reading "Peace", "Hiroshima 6 Aug 1945 Never Again" and "Scotland: Safer without nuclear weapons", while a group of singers from Protest in Harmony sang a number of songs calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
(Image: NQ) (Image: NQ) (Image: NQ) The Peace Garden, which is located near the entrance of the Botanics, was opened to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Glasgow Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren and Katsutoshi Takeda, the consul general of Japan, based in the Edinburgh embassy.
It features the sapling of a Gingko tree – planted by Takeda and McLaren – which was raised from the seed of a tree which survived the Hiroshima bombing.
Glasgow Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren and Katsutoshi Takeda, the consul general of Japan (Image: NQ) The United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski on August 6 and 9 in 1945, leading to the end of World War Two with Japan's surrender.
The bombs killed more than 200,000 people, with the Hiroshima bomb killing more than 140,000 people, including 38,000 children.
Speaking to The National, Glasgow CND chair Jean Anderson said that while "the world is in a terrible state", projects such as the new Peace Garden "give people hope and something positive to do".
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Anderson said that while the group hoped the project will educate people about the bombings, it will also teach people "that violence and hatred is not the greatest way to solve a problem, that real adults discuss things and they work out a better way of doing things".
Lynn Jamieson, Scottish CND chair, commented: "I'm here to remember all of the victims and the survivors of Hiroshima, and the one wish that the survivors have is for nuclear weapons to be banned so that this never happens again. I'm here to carry their message forward."
(Image: Scottish CND) Also among those in attendance was Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens co-leader and MSP for Glasgow.
Speaking to The National, Harvie said: "I grew up near Faslane, very aware of the threat and the nightmare of nuclear warfare.
"Anything that we can do that not only commemorates what happened in the past, but reminds us that this is still a threat in the here and now and that we collectively – all of us in Scotland, throughout the UK, Europe and the world – need to take responsibility if we want to prevent such atrocities happening again.
"It's lovely to have an event like this on our own doorstep, and I hope that there are similar events right around communities across Scotland."
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Scottish CND organised a number of other vigils across Scotland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Paisley, Stirling and Ayrshire.
There are countries which are armed with nuclear weapons: The UK, the US, Russia, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.
Israel has not officially confirmed or denied that it is in possession of nuclear weapons, but it is widely acknowledged that it has the capability to produce and deploy them.
The UK's nuclear weapons are held in Scotland, at the HMND Clyde Faslane naval base in Helensburgh.
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) called for immediate action to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Melissa Parke, ICAN executive director, attended a memorial event in Hiroshima alongside survivors – or hibakusha, as they are known in Japan – who have been involved in campaigning against nuclear weapons.
Following the service, Parke said: "It is not possible to come to Hiroshima and attend these solemn commemorations without being moved as well as convinced of the urgent need for nuclear weapons to be eliminated.
"The hibakusha, who were awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize for their tenacious campaigning for the elimination of nuclear weapons deserve to see their work vindicated and to witness the end of these inhumane, indiscriminate weapons of total destruction in their lifetime."
Parke added: "That means the nine nuclear-armed countries, most of which were represented here today, must heed their call to join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and get rid of their arsenals.'