Four days of events in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week will remember those who died in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945, and oppose plans to build a multi-billion-dollar uranium processing facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, the ceremonies—which include a vigil, a protest, and remembrance and peace lantern ceremonies—start about one week after an unprecedented security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex. OREPA Coordinator Ralph Hutchison has said, however, that his organization had no connection to the July 28 intrusion at Y-12 by three anti-nuclear weapons activists.
The OREPA events start at 5 p.m. today with a vigil at Y-12.
It features music, a potluck dinner, and a moment of silence marking the time when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, near the end of World War II. Uranium for that weapon—nicknamed “Little Boy”—was enriched at Y-12.
A “Bike not Bombs” brigade is expected to wrap up an eight-day bike trek from Portsmouth, Ohio, during the vigil, and Buddhist monks will also take part.
After the vigil, some protesters are expected to stay overnight as part of a protest called Occupy Y-12, opposing plans to build the uranium processing facility, or UPF.
A name and remembrance ceremony starts at 6 a.m. Monday at Y-12. It includes a reading of the names of those who died in the Hiroshima bombing and a peace crane ceremony.
On Wednesday, there is a peace lantern building party at 6:30 p.m. on Martin Mill Pike in Knoxville, followed by a peace lantern ceremony at 8 p.m. Thursday on the west end of Sequoyah Hills Park in Knoxville. It includes a remembrance of the victims of bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 9, 1945.
The peace lantern ceremony also includes traditional Japanese dancing, Buddhist drumming and chanting, a dramatic shadow puppet show, music, and more, the OREPA press release said.
For more information, visit the OREPA website at http://orepa.org/august-events-remember-hiroshima-nagasaki-never-again/.
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