The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) organized a packed All-Ireland Forum addressing the nuclear disasters in Fukushima and Chernobyl, as well as the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The NFLA is a local government association based in the City Hall of Manchester (UK), a long-time Mayors for Peace Vice-President City. The NFLA campaigns against both military and civilian nuclear hazards. A presentation by representatives from the 2020 Vision Campaign International Secretariat was welcomed by the audience. Ireland, which is not member of NATO, has played a historic role to advance the establishment of a nuclear weapon free world.
Councillors from both sides of the border, representing 20 different authorities, gathered to listen to a talk by NFLA Secretary Sean Morris, who is also a member of the 2020 Vision Campaign Board of Directors. Discussing the wider implications of the recent catastrophic events in Fukushima, Japan, he emphasised that now is a crucial time to challenge the UK government’s nuclear policy. The NFLA has been airing concerns with government ministers and recently published a statement calling for a transparent, industry-wide safety review and an urgent examination of waste storage arrangements, and also demanding that there be no public subsidies for builidng new nuclear plants.
Next, Matthias Breyne and Anne Clark, representing the 2020 Vision Campaign, introduced the work of Mayors for Peace, and highlighted the continuing threat of nuclear weapons in the world today and the need for total disarmament. Particular reference was made to the situation in the United Kingdom, where the government has yet to decide whether or not it will replace the Trident nuclear missile system. The speakers drew attention to Ireland’s pioneering role in initiating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in the 1960s, and its strong moral authority as an officially neutral and nuclear-free country. Lastly, councillors were encouraged to join the growing global movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons by having their cities affiliate with Mayors for Peace.
The final item was a moving account of the work of local charities, the Chernobyl Children’s Appeal and Chernobyl Aid North. These groups’ inspiring efforts to alleviate the physical suffering and extreme poverty of children in the Ukraine today provided a necessary reminder of the terrible and long-lasting effects of nuclear radiation, as the 25th anniversary of the Chernobly disaster approaches.
The NFLA spring seminar coincided with the opening of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-bomb exhibition in Newry Arts Centre on March 31st, an event which generated considerable interest among the local press. Newry and Mourne Councillor Michael Carr welcomed the exhibition, which vividly depicts the devastating effects of the 1945 nuclear attacks, and provides an overview of the international campaign to ban these inhumane weapons. Councillor Mick Murphy, Mayor of Newry and Mourne District Council, commented “I am honoured and delighted that Newry is hosting this very moving and important exhibition…this is a timely opportunity for the people of Newry and Mourne to understand more about the nuclear issue.”
Councillor Carr, who is Co-Chair of the NFLA All-Ireland Forum, has plans to bring a resolution before Newry and Mourne Council proposing that the city join Mayors for Peace. It is hoped that other councils will follow his lead, and add to the 13 cities who are already members across Ireland.
For more information visit NFLA website
Hiroshima - Nagasaki A-bomb exhibition in Newry
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