Mayors for Peace - Mayors for Peace
City of Chemnitz takes part in the campaign and flies the flag against nuclear weapons Invitation to the photo session: 8 July, 12.30 p.m. Market, in front of the town hall
On Thursday, 8 July at 12.30 pm, four "Mayors for Peace" flags will be hoisted in front of Chemnitz City Hall in the presence of Mayor Sven Schulze and members of the Chemnitz Peace Day working group. The City of Chemnitz is thus taking part in the Germany-wide Mayors for Peace campaign. Representatives of the media are invited to attend.
The focus of this year's Flag Day is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which came into force in January. The nuclear powers have not signed the treaty, and Germany has not yet joined the treaty either. Mayors for Peace are therefore appealing to their respective countries around the world to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, including Germany on 8 July.
Mayor Sven Schulze: "We also want to send a visible signal against nuclear weapons of mass destruction in Chemnitz. The nuclear powers still possess an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons. Nuclear arsenals are being modernised and more weapons are being kept ready for use than ever before. This threat must come to an end. That is why we are campaigning for the abolition of nuclear weapons on Flag Day. We want Germany to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."
This year, the German Mayors for Peace are celebrating a double anniversary on Flag Day:
25 years ago, on 8 July 1996, the International Court of Justice in The Hague published a remarkable legal opinion. The Court found that the threat of use and the use of nuclear weapons generally violate international law. The Court also stated that there is an obligation under international law to "conduct and conclude negotiations in good faith leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control." The International Court of Justice's opinion thus marks the beginning of a "post-nuclear" era, so to speak.
To commemorate this groundbreaking opinion, the state capital of Hanover, as Vice President of Mayors for Peace, introduced the so-called Flag Day in Germany exactly 10 years ago. More and more cities across Germany are now taking part in the campaign, with around 400 mayors flying the flag against nuclear weapons on 8 July. Numerous peace initiatives accompany this day with a variety of activities
Who are the Mayors for Peace?
The organisation Mayors for Peace was founded in 1982 by the mayor of Hiroshima. The global network is primarily committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons, but also addresses current issues in order to discuss ways of peaceful coexistence.
More than 8,000 cities belong to the network, including more than 700 cities in Germany. Around 400 cities in Germany are taking part in Flag Day this year.