News / Castle Park
Campaigners mark 80 years since atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Campaigners have marked 80 years since the first atomic bomb was dropped in 1945 on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
The peace activists attended the event – staged in Castle Park – to remember the darkest days in history and to protest against modern nuclear policy.
The event was organised by by the Bristol Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Gathered in front of The Peace Grove – group of cherry trees planted in 1986 to mark the WW2 atomic bombing of Hiroshima – they held a silent vigil at 8am.
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They followed this with a symbolic ‘die-in’ at 8.15am – the exact time the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
An air-raid siren sounded, and a narration of the bombing accompanied the action.
They gathered silently in front of the Peace Grove – a group of cherry trees planted in 1986 to mark the WW2 atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The group will be holding silent vigils and die-ins across Bristol on Wednesday and Saturday, in memory of the the lives lost in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A second vigil for Nagasaki Day, will be held on College Green. The silent vigil will start at 10.45am, with a die-in to follow at 11.02am, commemorating the moment the second bomb struck Nagasaki.
Afterward, a short rally will feature speeches, poetry, and a local choir performance.
They are also utilising the annual events of reflection and remembrance to raise concerns over what they describe as a rising nuclear threat in the UK and globally.
All photos: Rob Browne
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