James Barber speaking at the 71st Hiroshima and Nagasaki day

Auckland Peace Action (APA) launched a petition this weekend calling for an end to state support of the upcoming weapons conference and a redirection of the defence budget to benefit the people of Aotearoa. Peace Action Wellington (PAW) launched the petition in Wellington at an event commemorating the 71st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary and barbaric acts against ordinary civilians, the ongoing effects of which are well known, and extend down the generations.

Today the threat of nuclear war has only increased. The number of nuclear states has swelled, and the profit margins of those companies which make these weapons, as well as other weapons such as drones, has continued to increase. The list of similar atrocities committed by the United States’ armed forces has also grown.

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