IN 26 CITIES WORLDWIDE, PUBLIC RALLIES AGAINST NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF ATOMIC BOMBINGS OF JAPAN

by Brittany Kimzey,  Global Zero Action Corps Leader, Physicians for Social Responsibility Event and Activity Coordinator

Global Zero Calls Iran Deal A Key Step Toward The Global Elimination Of Nuclear Weapons

17 August 2015

On Sunday, August 9, Global Zero activists in 26 cities worldwide took to the streets for "Bike Around the Bomb" events to mark the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan and call for urgent action to eliminate all nuclear weapons. The international day of action came as the debate over the nuclear deal with Iran -- a key next step toward the global elimination of nuclear weapons -- heats up in the U.S. Congress.

In Iowa City, Global Zero teamed up with Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility to host an advocacy forum on eliminating nuclear weapons. The forum featured keynote speakers Paul K Chappell of the California based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and Steven Starr, Senior Scientist with National Physicians for Social Responsibility. Participants of the forum gained an increased understanding of the risks posed by nuclear weapons in today’s society. The forum resulted in a number of different advocacy actions being taken including: social media posts and photos, letters to decision makers, discussions on how to advocate using art or lobbying, and a bike ride which highlighted the area of destruction that would occur from a small nuclear blast in Iowa City.

"As we mark the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we must consider the present-day threat posed by nuclear weapons -- and the steps we can take to eliminate that threat. Right now, the U.S. Congress has an opportunity to make the world safer by approving a deal that stops the spread of the bomb in the Middle East. They should seize it," said Global Zero leader and former CIA operative Valerie Plame.

"Nuclear weapons were last used a half century before I was born, yet still remain the greatest threat to our existence. I work to ensure they don't last another fifty,” said Iowa City Global Zero Action Corps Leader Brittany Kimzey. “Our generation must be the one that eliminates nuclear weapons, 70 years is too long to live in fear."

In the United States, "Bike Around the Bomb" demonstrations took place in Washington, DC; San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; New Orleans, LA; Seattle, WA; Orlando, FL; New York, NY; Fresno, CA; Grand Junction, CO; Iowa City, IA; Pittsburgh, PA; Concord, NH; Asheville, NC; Eugene, OR; Lexington, SC; and Rock Hill, SC. Global Zero members in Cyprus, Germany, India and Pakistan also hosted demonstrations in their communities.

For more information, or for interviews with Global Zero leaders, please contact Brett Abrams at (516) 841-1105 or by email at brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com.

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Global Zero is the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons. It is led by more than 300 eminent world leaders and backed by half a million citizens worldwide. Fore more information, please visit www.globalzero.org