Campaigners gather for peace and climate action

Two action groups held public campaign events in Glossop on Saturday 8th August, highlighting concerns about nuclear weapons and fossil fuel development. 

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

Peace campaigners held a vigil in Norfolk Square to remember all those who died in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. 

The two bombs killed hundreds of thousands of people immediately or in the first few days. The affected population continued to suffer for decades from cancers and other diseases caused by the radiation. 

There are now very few survivors left alive in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but those who remain continue to campaign for a nuclear-free world. Recently, the organisation which represents them was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 

As part of the vigil, a figure was drawn on the pavement representing the shadows of people which were etched into the stone in Hiroshima by the blinding light and fearsome heat of the bomb. Campaigners said it provided a permanent reminder of the terrifying power of nuclear weapons. 

Joy Hallsworth, a representative of Glossop Peace Group, said: “Nuclear weapons do nothing for our security and we are wasting billions on new missiles, warheads and submarines. We urge our Government to join the majority of nations in rejecting weapons of mass destruction and to sign the Nuclear Ban Treaty.” 

Stop Rosebank:

In a second campaign event, members of High Peak Green New Deal assembled in Norfolk Square to demand that the Rosebank oil field should not be given the green light. 

Campaigners said that the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is under pressure from scientists, environmental campaigners and ordinary citizens not to allow the development of the oil field. 

Across the country, people are gathering to take photographs with a Stop Rosebank banner in their towns and villages, sharing the pictures and their demands with the Prime Minister. 

The campaign comes amid continuing debate over the UK's future oil and gas production, energy security and the transition to renewable energy. Rosebank, located west of Shetland, has become a major focus for environmental campaigners who argue that developing new oil and gas fields is incompatible with efforts to tackle climate change. 

Campaigners also said that the Prime Minister is being pressed by oil companies to go ahead with the development: “Right now most of us are locked into fossil fuels and forced to pay extortionate heating and fuel bills, while companies like Shell, Equinor and BP rake in enormous profits".

Linda Walker, Group Co-ordinator of High Peak Green New Deal, said: “We should be winding down production of oil and gas and making sure that good green jobs are created for the people and communities which will be affected. 

“Rosebank will do nothing for our bills or our energy security. We need to expand the development of renewables, which is a win-win, lowering bills, creating genuine home-grown energy, and reducing harm to the climate.” 

People interested in local campaigning for climate and social justice can contact High Peak Green New Deal at highpeakgreennewdeal@gmail.com