Organizers of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence marked Hiroshima Day last week by launching roving celebrity billboards throughout midtown Manhattan.
The billboards featured the faces of many of the national presidents, Hollywood actors, musicians, Nobel Laureates and religious leaders who have endorsed the World March to demonstrate their deep concern about the unprecedented nuclear threat facing the world today. These included Penelope Cruz, Viggo Mortensen, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Lou Reed, Yoko Ono, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Bryan Adams and many more.
“It’s important to mark this day not only to remember what happened but to prevent a future nuclear catastrophe,” said World March spokesperson Chris Wells. “The situation is far more dangerous and unstable than people realize. There is a growing call for abolition, in the UN, with Obama and Medvedev, and civil initiatives like the World March for Peace and Nonviolence and Global Zero. But we need to build up massive public support to make sure it happens.”
Initiated by the organization World Without Wars, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence begins its historic journey October 2 in Wellington New Zealand before traveling through seven continents, 100 plus countries and 300 plus cities. It will arrive in New York City on November 30, 2009 and reach its final destination in Punta de Vacas, Argentina on January 2. 2010.
The primary goals of the World March include:
- nuclear disarmament at a global level
- immediate withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories
- progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons
- signing of non-aggression treaties between countries
- renunciation by governments of the use of war as a means to resolve conflicts
To find out more, click here. To view the celebrity billboards, click here.
