Peace protesters in Bristol mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Peace campaigners have staged a 'die in' at Castle Park in Bristol, exactly 75 years after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan.
The bombing on 6 August 1945, and that of Nagasaki a few days later, led to the deaths of up to 226,000 people.
Rachel Legg from St Agnes in Bristol is one of the protesters. She says, “I’ve raised two children myself and I also care deeply about our society and our environment. So to me the deliberate targeting of cities and civilians is totally unacceptable.
"The thought of using nuclear weapons to do this is even more evil because of the massive destruction and the damaging legacy which is passed down through the generations."
The group is holding workshops in Castle Park until Sunday 9 August and is asking people to support a petition asking the Mayor and Bristol City Council to sign up to the Nuclear Ban Communities initiative.
This would declare the city's support for the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which - once ratified - will result in the prohibition of developing, testing and using nuclear weapons.
Hannah Tweddell, chair of Bristol-CND, says, "75 years on we remember those killed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the hibakush (survivors) who continue to suffer the effects of the bombing as well as those impacted by nuclear testing.
"We call on Marvin Rees and Bristol City Councillors to join other cities in the UK and abroad to sign up to the Nuclear Ban Communities initiative."
The protesters have also draped peace and anti-nuclear banners across all 91 metres of Castle Bridge, which links Finzel's Reach with the city centre.
The protest will end on Sunday with another 'die-in' to mark the anniversary of the dropping of a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. There will also be a march on City Hall.