Motherwell MSP urges others to sign appeal to ban nuclear weapons

In March 2016 representatives Yamada Reiko and Yamada Midori, survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, met with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to share their experiences. During this visit, the First Minister signed the Appeal.

The Hibakusha Appeal calls on State Governments to adopt the United Nations nuclear weapons ban on humanitarian grounds.

So far, 9.4 million people around the world have signed the petition. Every SNP MSP has supported the appeal and shown their staunch opposition to nuclear weaponry – following Bill Kidd MSP’s circulation of the petition.

‘Hibakusha’ is a Japanese word for the group of people that survived the 1945 atomic bombings at the end of World War II,

The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima and then, three days later, on the city of Nagasaki. These nuclear detonations killed tens of thousands instantly and 214,000 people, the majority of whom were women and children, died in the following months.

Many more passed away in the proceeding years due to radiation-related illnesses and poisoning. Second-generation Hibakusha are also at higher risk of developing radiation-related illnesses, including many forms of cancer.

Clare Adamson MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw said: “This Hibakusha Appeal now sits at over 9.4 million signatures. People from every walk of life are adamant that these nuclear atrocities must never be repeated. The human cost is unimaginable.

“The SNP has long campaigned for removing nuclear weapons from Scotland. If you would use a nuclear weapon first, then you are irredeemable. If you would use it second, then it has not worked as a deterrent – so what is the point of it? It is a monstrous creation and we want no part in it.

“The testimonies of the Hibakusha show the dark reality of nuclear weapons. I would urge all of my constituents to consider signing this appeal.”

The petition can be accessed at https://hibakusha-appeal.net/english