Activists gather in Hiroshima to discuss role of grassroots campaigns
Aug. 6, 2014
The World Conference against A & H Bombs, organized by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) and other entities, continued its International Meeting at Hiroshima City Bunka Koryu Kaikan in Naka Ward on August 3. Peace activists in and out of Japan are sharing their views on the role and nature of grassroots campaigns, with the goal of realizing a world without nuclear weapons.
Jeannick Lepretre, a peace activist from France, introduced one example, saying that revealing the modernization program of France’s nuclear weapons prompted the French public to engage in energetic discussion over the idea of nuclear deterrence. Anne Schulthess, a representative from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the United Kingdom, recalled an act by the House of Commons in the summer of 2013, saying that the British parliament’s rejection of a bill aimed at a military intervention in Syria was the direct result of anti-war efforts.
The participants discussed undertakings for the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), to be held in New York next spring. Joseph Gerson, director of programs for the American Friends Service Committee, pointed out the importance of staging events around the venue and said that the power of citizens must be united. Masakazu Yasui, secretary general of Gensuikyo, responded and said that his organization will be actively involved in the conference, with a number of like-minded people gathering for the event.
On the same day, the organizers held three workshops on such themes as conflict resolution. The International Meeting will close on August 4 and the group’s World Conference Hiroshima Meeting will take place from August 4 to August 6.
(Originally published on August 4, 2014)
Jeannick Lepretre, a peace activist from France, introduced one example, saying that revealing the modernization program of France’s nuclear weapons prompted the French public to engage in energetic discussion over the idea of nuclear deterrence. Anne Schulthess, a representative from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the United Kingdom, recalled an act by the House of Commons in the summer of 2013, saying that the British parliament’s rejection of a bill aimed at a military intervention in Syria was the direct result of anti-war efforts.
The participants discussed undertakings for the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), to be held in New York next spring. Joseph Gerson, director of programs for the American Friends Service Committee, pointed out the importance of staging events around the venue and said that the power of citizens must be united. Masakazu Yasui, secretary general of Gensuikyo, responded and said that his organization will be actively involved in the conference, with a number of like-minded people gathering for the event.
On the same day, the organizers held three workshops on such themes as conflict resolution. The International Meeting will close on August 4 and the group’s World Conference Hiroshima Meeting will take place from August 4 to August 6.
(Originally published on August 4, 2014)
