“Do not use Hiroshima” – Voice of protest rises in Peace Park
Jul. 17, 2021
On July 16, when International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach visited Peace Memorial Park, several citizens groups held protests in and around the park, opposing his visit to the A-bombed city and the holding of the Tokyo Olympics.
In front of the A-bomb Dome, about 20 people, including members from a citizens group called “August 6 Hiroshima Grand Action,” raised their voices, chanting “Cancel the Olympics,” and “Do not use the A-bombed city as an excuse for justifying the (holding of) the Olympics.” Takeshi Nakashima, 74, co-representative of the group stressed that Hiroshima is being used in the staging of the Olympics to hide medical and labor issues, created by the spread of the infection with the new coronavirus, under the guise of peace.
About 50 members from the Hiroshima network calling for the cancellation of Tokyo Olympics also marched in and around Peace Park, shouting, “Go home, Bach.” Kunihiko Sakuma, 76, chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, who joined the protest at the request of the group, called on the government to cancel the Olympic games and focus on putting an end to the corona virus pandemic.
(Originally published on July 17, 2021)
