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On the 81st anniversary of the horrendous atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must remember the horror of nuclear weapons and re-commit ourselves to the movement for global peace.

 “Under that mushroom cloud, rising out of a temperature of 5,000 degrees, some say 7,000 degrees, centigrade. As we know, water boils at 100 degrees and steel melts at 1,500 degrees centigrade. 70,000 died instantly and many more afterwards. Within four months, 140,000 died, and to this day, people continue to die from radiation-related illnesses.”  

- Kyoko Gibson, second-generation hibakusha, Hiroshima

Kyoko is a second-generation hibakusha, or survivor of the bombing from Hiroshima. She spoke to us about the lives that were destroyed in an instant when the atomic bomb was dropped, and about those who suffered from radiation sickness for decades after the attack. She also shared her own painful experiences managing cancer. Yet her message remains defiant: she will continue to campaign for nuclear disarmament for as long as she can.

Click here to watch the speech Kyoko gave when she joined us for a special commemorative meeting at the Houses of Parliament last year. We’ve also included below an image of a bomb artefact, a tricycle distorted by the extreme temperatures described by Kyoko. The little boy who rode the tricycle was killed that day.

CND is working tirelessly to raise awareness of the lives that have already been destroyed by nuclear weapons and the unique threat that these weapons of mass destruction pose to humanity again today. Our work is only possible because of the donations we have received from supporters like you.

Sadly, our government still hasn’t learnt the right lessons from the unthinkable horror of the 1945 atomic bombings. Britain is now the third largest spender on nuclear weapons in the world, overtaking Russia. £64 billion will be spent on Britain’s nuclear weapons over the next four years, as it expands its nuclear arsenal. Preparing for war is only dragging the world closer towards a nuclear conflict.

However, we know that there is an alternative to this reckless nuclear proliferation. We must continue to take inspiration from the hibakusha, and all those who have campaigned for peace and against nuclear weapons in the years since the atomic bombings. With your support, we can strengthen our campaigning on every level – helping us to rise to the challenges of today’s nuclear threats.