Nuclear Ban is here!

We made it ! Fifty countries have ratified the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which comes into force on 22 January. Another 84 countries have signed, but to the UK’s shame, our government has not signed up and says it never will.

London CND has joined the campaign to put pressure on Westminster to change this. In the coming year we will be asking MP, local authorities, and faith leaders in the Greater London area to sign a nuclear disarmament pledge and show their support for the Treaty. Expect more on this in January.

Nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction not banned under international law. The ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons sets that right, and CND is holding a webinar about it on 16 Jan. Find out more here.

WATCH: Climate, Care & Nukes

Check this video exploring the links between the climate and care crises and nuclear disarmament! Organised by London CND in collaboration with Youth & Student CND, Stop the War Coalition, Extinction Rebellion UK and De-Militarise Education.

Introducing the new London CND Coordinator

Hello, my name is Julie and I am delighted to join the London CND team as LRCND Coordinator!

I recently finished my assignment as co-Arts and Culture Coordinator at the The World Transformed, a month-long festival of politics, arts and culture throughout which I organised an inter-generational working group of volunteers in multiple locations and oversaw the organisation of fully-digital talks and creative events.

That’s me!

My campaigning background is in climate activism, student activism and West Papuan liberation, for which I designed diplomatic documents for 3 years, organised an international conference in Oxford and coordinated a march to the United Nations in Geneva. I have also supported 17 campaigns, charities, and think-tanks in producing websites, brand identities and social media graphics. As Environment and Ethics Officer at Warwick Students Union, I gained an excellent command of social media campaigning aimed at students and I am hoping to boost the number of young people involved in the campaign. 

I’m on the left, making a banner with other students at the University of Warwick

History must change track, and I cannot wait to lend my experience and creativity to this ever-pressing campaign. If you’d like to be friends on Facebook, here is my professional account: https://www.facebook.com/julie.saumagne. Don’t hesitate to send me a request and drop me a message, I’m really looking forward to meeting and learning from you all! 

In peace, 

Julie

WATCH: South East London CND Peace One Day event

In September 2001 United Nations GA resolution 55/282 was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly, establishing the UN International Day of Peace as an annual day of global ceasefire and non - violence, fixed in the calendar as September 21st. Peace One Day has successfully driven the initiative to establish this day in many countries throughout the world. It is marked in many different ways, for example - with real ceasefires in conflict zones, arts festivals,and educational projects in schools. The South East London CND Peace Coalition marked it on Sept 22nd this year due to organisational demands, with music, poetry, a speaker about the Gaza settlements, and film extracts about the history of the organisation and a Woodcraft Folk peace project.

00:00:00 Introduction - Gini Bevan (SE London CND groups), Richard Hart and Ann Garrett (Bromley Peace Council)
00:08:43 Music - Nick Jeffrey and The Lewisham Folk Mob
00:38:30 Film - Tracy Cleveland (Woodcraft Folk)
00:47:15 Music - North Kent and Petts Wood musician via La Dolce Vita Folk Club – Paul Steele
00:56:12 Film - Peace One Day, introduced by Hannah Kemp Welch (London Region CND)
01:02:56 Talk - The Gaza Settlements, Michael Coulston (Stop the War) + with Ang Swee Chai 01:19:28 Music - La Dolce Vita Folk Club - Curtis Savage
01:28:20 Poetry - Richard Hart. Roisin Robertson, Leon Silver, Ben Silver, Patricia Lower, Ann Garrett and Ruth Fabricant (local SE London peace poets and singers)
01:28:03 Music – a song from each of the musicians 02:05:32 Final announcements and thanks

Watch: Nagasaki Day commemorations

London CND supported the London Peace Pagoda’s annual event, held this year via Zoom.

Programme

Welcome & Introduction - Shigeo Kobayashi (MC), JAN UK 

Water Sprinkling & Blessing - Rev. Nagase Shonin, London Peace Pagoda 

Chanting - Rev. Nagase Shonin

Chapter 16 Lotus Sutra - Rev. Nagase Shonin

Tibetan Traditional Chanting  - Jamyang Buddhist Sangha －Geshe Tenzin Namdak  

Christian Prayer  - Rev. Alan Gadd, South London Interfaith Group 

Speech - Bruce Kent, Vice-President of CND

Speech - Shigeo Kobayashi

Speech on Bradwell -  Yuko Moriyama-Wiffen 

Song for Peace - Brigette Bennett

Conclusion & Thanks - Shigeo Kobayashi

The ceremony ended with the live image of lanterns at the London Peace Pagoda. 

Watch: Hiroshima Day commemorations

This year, we held our annual Hiroshima Day commemorations online, as we were unable to meet in Tavistock Square. The event was recorded and can be viewed below.

Download the event programme here.

Feedback from our guests:

Sonoda : I am a Fukushima nuclear victim. Thank you to all.

Syeda : Thank you all, 本当にありがとうございます。Great songs!

Frank: Thanks to all, from Leicester.

Min O'R: Thanks to all, from Belfast

Iliyana: Thanks from Scotland and our Peace Cranes exhibition at the Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre

Symon, Peace Pledge Union: Many thanks to all organisers and participants.

Ziba, Raised Voices Choir in London : Thank you Hugh for all these excellent songs.

Katrina A: Thank you everyone who organised and contributed to this great event.

Tim O: Thanks very much to everyone involved.

Cordelia: Thank you to everyone who organised this important event

Gerri: Today is so important to me and this has been a wonderful, spiritual way to remember. With love

Mahzad : Thank you for commemorating this very important historical and humanitarian event

Julie S: Thank you everyone for this event!

Mariette and Jai : Thank you London CND for this event.

Paula S: Thank you for an excellent Zoom x

Ivan R: Thank you for holding this !

Time, Memory and Nuclear Weapons

To commemorate Nagasaki day, we have launched an online exhibition 08:15 - 11.02, Time, Memory and Nuclear Weapons.

The exhibition will be live from 9am on 9th August 2020, with works by Graham Ashton, Peter Barton, Steven Feld, Hannah Kemp-Welch, Peter Kennard, Martyl Langsdorf, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti.

This exhibition considers our relationship to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki today, as we mark the 75th anniversary. Drawing together artists’ responses that hold time and remembrance as central themes, works in film, photography, sound and performance invite the visitor to pause for reflection and connect with these experiences through our everyday encounters with time.

We Shall Overcome

As our Hiroshima and Nagasaki events are being held online this year, we wanted to share the spirit of community so often felt at these events, that helps us to persevere in our mission.

Last year, London CND coordinator Hannah Kemp-Welch represented CND at the World Conference Against A&H bombs in Japan. There, she recorded some of the singing she heard at the conference - attended by 5,000 people from all over the world, committed to campaigning until nuclear weapons are abolished.

Listen to activitsts from around the globe singing ‘We Shall Overcome’ on 6th August 2019 in Hiroshima, and do sing-a-long from home!

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,

We shall overcome someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall overcome someday.

We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,

We'll walk hand in hand someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We'll walk hand in hand someday.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,

We shall live in peace someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall live in peace someday.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid,

We are not afraid today;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We are not afraid today.

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,

We shall overcome someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall overcome someday.

Sadako's Crane

Joe Jukes from CND Peace Education has created this video to share the story behind the paper peace crane, alongside a ‘how-to’ so you can spend a refelective moment this Hiroshima Day folding your own.

Nuclear Ban Communities

Jacqui from Greater Manchester Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament interviews Sean Morris from Nuclear Free Local Authorities about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (the 'Ban Treaty') and ways that towns and cities can show their support.

Items mentioned in the video:

• CND's Ban Communities webpage and draft resolution via: https://cnduk.org/nuclear-ban-communities/

• Background on the Treaty from ICAN via: https://www.icanw.org/the_treaty

• Newsletters and briefings from Nuclear Free Local Authorities via: https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/