Greek Rallies Mark Hiroshima Anniversary
Peace Groups Warn of Nuclear War and Europe’s Militarisation
On Thursday, 6 August, anti-imperialist rallies took place in several Greek cities to mark the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peace organisations, youth groups, and trade unions recalled the indiscriminate destruction caused by the bombings and warned against Europe’s ongoing militarisation and the growing risk of war facing the working class.
“We are here today because the slogan ‘never again’ remains as relevant as ever,” said Grigoris Anagnostou of the Greek Committee for International Détente and Peace (EEDYE) at one of the rallies. “The danger of a widespread nuclear catastrophe is growing; we are raising our voices and intensifying the struggle for a world without nuclear weapons, without wars, and without the exploitation of human beings by other human beings.”
Over 100,000 people were instantly killed on 6 August and 9, 1945, when the US dropped uranium and plutonium bombs on the two Japanese cities. Tens of thousands more died in the following months from the effects of radiation exposure. The official explanation of the bombing was to force Japan’s surrender in World War II, but the act was largely a demonstration of force aimed at the Soviet Union. “Today, the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not merely a historical anniversary,” the All-Workers’ Militant Front (PAME) stated. “It is a warning and a wake-up call.”
“The dropping of the atomic bomb was a horrific show of force by the US, aimed at the Soviet Union and the working-class forces, which had become radicalised during the war years,” the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) remarked. “At the same time, it was yet another proof that the imperialists will stop at no crime to achieve their goals.”
Speaking on behalf of PAME on Thursday, Nikos Tzortzis emphasised the links between austerity and anti-labour policies implemented by European governments—including the New Democracy administration in Greece—with crumbling services and the interests of the arms trade. “Our country’s involvement in the war means billions spent on military equipment and preparations and new sacrifices for workers and the people,” 902.gr quotes Tzortzis as saying. “It means intensified exploitation with 13-hour workdays, starvation wages, the dismantling of collective bargaining agreements, rising prices, authoritarianism, and repression.”
The effects of these policies are devastating, he pointed out, as illustrated by yet another catastrophic fire season in Greece, where several firefighters have already died. “They are not victims of “bad luck,”” Tzortzis emphasised. “They are victims of the undeclared war waged by capitalists who view measures to protect workers“ lives and health as a cost and an obstacle to their profits. These are crimes committed by the state of the exploiters, which proves effective when it comes to serving the profitability of corporate conglomerates, guarding shipowners” vessels in the Red Sea and Aramco’s oil wells, but “incapable” when it comes to protecting human life and enforcing health and safety measures in the workplace.”
Peace groups underscored the continuity of US-led conflicts from the past through to today and insisted that the danger of further nuclear arms use still looms. “The imperialists are modernising their nuclear arsenals, developing new “lower yield” weapons that are 1,000 times more destructive than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with a shorter time to avert catastrophe,” wrote EEDYE. “They have spread war fronts across the globe, with the carnage in Ukraine and the Middle East expanding and intensifying. The prospect of a full-scale war looms menacingly.”
EEDYE insisted imperialist forces will stop at nothing to protect their interests. “The message from Hiroshima and Nagasaki confirms this,” the organization said. “The genocide in Gaza confirms this. The decisions of the latest NATO summit confirm this dangerous course.”
As part of the demonstrations, PAME echoed widespread calls for Greece to shut down US military bases and leave NATO, insisting the government should focus on guaranteeing a more dignified life for workers. Thirteen-hour working days and cuts to healthcare and education while millions are being spent on arms is unacceptable, PAME said. “No one should accept the rhetoric of “national unity” and “social peace,” which demand silence, submission, and the sacrifice of the people’s children—whether in the workplace or on the battlefields—so that war preparations and corporate profits can proceed unhindered.”
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