On Wednesday, August 6, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and in response to the call launched by the Marseille Peace Movement, around fifty activists from various groups, such as Femmes solidaires, the French Association of Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War (AMFPGN), and the Association for the Defense of the People of the Mediterranean, gathered in Marseille in front of the symbolic monument to the Mobile Units, some fifty activists from various groups, including Femmes solidaires, the French Association of Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War (AMFPGN), trade unionists, cultural figures, including Catherine Lecoq, and various elected representatives of the municipality wearing their tricolor sashes .

After greeting and thanking those present, Michel Dolot, from the Movement for Peace, recalled the disasters caused by the 1945 bombings and the current risks, as well as the need to continue mobilizing. Then came the good news from Jean-Marc Coppola, councilor for culture, who spoke on behalf of the mayor.

My presence here today is a continuation of the commitment I made on behalf of the municipal majority on October 2, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the International Day of Non-Violence[1] organized in La Plaine by Richard Macotta, from the association Provence Culture Verdon, who is here today, and the 3rd March for Peace and Non-Violence, which I welcomed at the Town Hall on November 21, 2024[2] and which is represented today by Martine Sicard from Nice.

I salute the leaders and activists of the Peace Movement and the organizations that support these actions.

Billions are spent on these wars instead of being allocated to the development of peoples. And French leaders want to spend even more public funds on an arms race to the detriment of social welfare, education, health, the environment, culture, and humanity…

I therefore wish to reaffirm our solidarity with your initiatives to raise awareness of the need to live in peace and without violence…

Today, we must recognize that, although nuclear weapons have been considered a deterrent for decades, they now seem more threatening than ever…

Therefore, in order to join forces in favor of a culture of peace… and to reaffirm the need for understanding between peoples, solidarity, and fraternity, to oppose the escalation of violence, with the threat of the possible use of nuclear weapons reappearing…

I announce that our city, Marseille, has decided to join the signatories of the ICAN Cities Appeal in favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons .

We hope that other cities will follow our example and that the State will commit itself to banning nuclear weapons.

After joyful applause, testimonies were heard from Japan from Sébastien Gronnier, from CASI Cheminots PACA, Jean Jacques Riot and Cathy Aubron, from the delegation of the Movement for Peace, who had participated that same morning in the celebration in Hiroshima and had been deeply moved.

Finally, representatives of the groups present took the floor:

  • Yves Perrin-Toinin, from the French Association of Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War, detailed all the collateral effects of these weapons on health.
  • Régine Fiorani, from the Marseille Gaza Palestine Collective, warned of the risk of the use of atomic weapons by Israel.
  • Martine Sicard, from Monde Sans Guerres et Sans Violence France, a member of the international team of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, insisted on the need for continued action and collaboration between various groups to have more impact, like thousands of hummingbirds, thus opening a door to hope.
  • Richard Maccotta, from Culture Provence Verdon, challenged participants to demand that future candidates, both in municipal elections and, above all, in the upcoming presidential elections, take a clear position for or against the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

The event concluded with mutual embraces and the song by Jean Ferrat, “La paix sur terre” (Peace on Earth), sung by all those present.