Neukölln Hisst Frieden: Flag for nuclear disarmament on July 8th!

Neukölln Hisst Frieden: Flag for nuclear disarmament on July 8th!

Neukölln, Berlin, Deutschland - On July 8, 2025, a significant action will take place in Neukölln as part of the flag day of "Mayors for Peace". District Mayor Martin Hikel will hoist the "Mayors for Peace" flag on the town hall forecourt at 12 noon. This ceremony is part of an event coordinated worldwide, in which over 600 cities in Germany, including Neukölln, make a strong commitment to nuclear disarmament. The aim of this campaign is to set a visible sign against the spread of nuclear weapons and for its worldwide abolition.

"Mayors for Peace" was founded in 1982 by Takeshi Araki, the then mayor of Hiroshima. The foundation of this initiative falls into a context that reminds of Hiroshima's destruction in 2023 by an atomic bomb in World War II. This year the devastating event marks the 80th anniversary. The mayors: With this symbolism, this symbolism not only want to remind you of the past, but also of the pressing questions of the present.

an international appeal

On July 8, the mayors remind: inside for peace of a legal report from the 1996 International Court of Justice, which determines that the use or threat of nuclear weapons is contrary to international law. This report underlines the obligation to carry out serious negotiations on complete nuclear disarmament under international control. The reminder, which runs out of the over 8,400 member cities from 166 countries, including more than 900 from Germany, is also reinforced by the changed geopolitical location.

Current estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) show that around 12,241 nuclear warheads exist worldwide. Five official nuclear powers who encourage their arsenal to modernize take care of the risk of a new nuclear armaments. In particular, the future of the new start contract between the USA and Russia, which expires at the beginning of next year, shows the urgency and the challenge of future disarmament initiatives.

The nuclear weapons blocking contract and its challenges

A central component of international efforts to disarmament is the nuclear weapon locking contract (NVV), which was launched in 1968. The signatory states, including the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, China and France, undertake here to non -spread nuclear weapons and to negotiate complete disarmament. However, critics warn that the NVV is considered inadequate in view of the progressive modernization of the nuclear arsenals of the nuclear states. Since the last review conferences, the inequality between nuclear weapons states and non -core weapon states has also been discussed.

The upcoming campaign on July 8th not only represents a memory of the past, but is also an important step in a longer fight against the threat from nuclear weapons. "Mayors for Peace" not only sees itself as the voice of the cities, but as part of a global appeal for peace and security at a time that is characterized by uncertainties. The commitment of the cities on this day will once again clarify that the path to a world -free world is a common concern.