Hiroshima and Nagasaki Serve as a Reminder

Eighty-one years ago today, a U.S. atomic bomb destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki, just as it had struck the city of Hiroshima three days earlier. To commemorate this event and serve as a reminder, people gathered on August 6 at the Peace Bell in Volkspark am Friedrichshain to express their desire for peace. In a joint declaration of intent, they stated:

Declaration of Intent by the Participants in the 2026 Hiroshima Memorial Day

Eighty-one years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we commemorate the victims today and issue a warning in light of a global situation in which the danger of nuclear war continues to grow. We remember the immeasurable suffering of the victims and survivors, the hibakusha. Their legacy — “Never again war. Never again Hiroshima. Never again hibakusha” — is our commitment.

The World Peace Bell in Volkspark Friedrichshain, erected on the 50th anniversary of the start of World War II, reminds us to honor the victims of all wars — then and now. It reminds us not to underestimate the dangers posed by the 12,187 nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction in the world! The Doomsday Clock stands at 85 seconds to midnight — closer to symbolic catastrophe than ever before.

Germany is becoming a NATO hub and a potential deployment site for U.S. nuclear-capable missile systems. This is a flagrant violation of the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, as well as the 1990 Two-Plus-Four Treaty. We categorically condemn this policy of military buildup, which simultaneously sacrifices necessary spending on social services, health care, education, science, and pensions to military logic.

We oppose all efforts to reintroduce conscription and to exploit our peace-loving people as cannon fodder for war. That is why we demand the following from the government of the Federal Republic of Germany:

• Disarmament instead of rearmament! A capacity for peace instead of a capacity for war!
• Stop the militarization of society! Increase spending on social security, culture, education, and science!
• No deployment of U.S. intermediate-range missiles in Germany! Germany’s signing of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is long overdue!
• Close all military bases in Germany and withdraw U.S. nuclear weapons!
• Immediate end to arms exports and weapons production for third countries!
• Resolve conflicts through negotiations instead of further escalation!
• No to conscription and other forms of compulsory service
• A consistent rejection of enemy stereotypes! Advocating for a European security order that includes Russia!

We know: A nuclear bomb does not ask about religion, origin, gender, or political affiliation. A nuclear bomb wipes out all life.

In light of this danger, we need broad alliances of those committed to peace — anti-imperialist forces, labor unions, religious communities, artisans and small business owners, environmental organizations, cultural workers, high school students, and college students — in short, all democratic forces whose paramount goal is to secure peace and, in this spirit, to foster understanding among those committed to peace.

We must tolerate differing positions and talk to one another. We must not allow ourselves to be divided in the name of PEACE. It is the lowest common denominator and crucial for the survival of humanity!

“PEACE is not the mirror image of WAR! PEACE is the poetry of TOGETHERNESS!” Tino Eisbrenner (musician/poet)

Berlin, August 6, 2026
Friedensglockengesellschaft Berlin e.V. // Commemoration and memorial event at the Berlin World Peace Bell in Volkspark Friedrichshain

In his speech, Reiner Braun of the International Peace Bureau (IPB) once again emphasized the current dangers posed by global arms buildup. He quoted Albert Einstein, who said just a few days after the atomic bombings: “The time has come for humanity to renounce war. It is no longer rational to solve international problems through war.”
This remains true to this day: No to all nuclear weapons — no to all wars, because currently, the nine nuclear-armed states (as of 2025) are spending a total of $119 billion on the development of new nuclear bombs. This path leads to the downfall of humanity.

Read more https://www.friedenskooperative.de/friedensorganisationen/friedensglockengesellschaft-berlin
and the speech of Reiner Braun

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