PCP remembers Hiroshima with "duty of memory"

The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) said on Wednesday that it is "a duty of memory" to remember the Hiroshima nuclear bomb, but also an opportunity to "firmly and courageously" combat what they call the ongoing "propaganda campaign of militarism and war."

Rui Fernandes, of the Political Commission of the Central Committee of the PCP, marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, in a statement in which he called the bombings a “monstrous crime against humanity that absolutely nothing can justify” .

"Remembering the nuclear holocaust of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a duty of remembrance, but above all, it is an opportunity to reaffirm the imperative duty to fight so that such a tragedy never happens again," he noted.

According to the communist, "the horror and suffering that Israeli Zionism and US imperialism are inflicting on the Palestinian people confirms that, to impose its interests, imperialism is capable of the most monstrous crimes," arguing that "only the struggle of workers and peoples can force them to retreat."

"While it is necessary to defend historical truth, it is imperative to firmly and courageously combat the overwhelming propaganda campaign of militarism and war, the normalization of fascism, and even the trivialization of the use of nuclear weapons," he appealed.

For Rui Fernandes, the decisions made at recent NATO and European Union summits regarding the increase in military spending “demanded by the Trump administration are particularly serious.”

"Marking another anniversary of the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the PCP confirms its deep commitment to the fight for disarmament, the political resolution of conflicts, respect for the UN Charter and in defense of the principles enshrined in the Final Act of the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary," he emphasized.

The communist leader added that while "the militaristic escalation" is taking place, there is also an attack on labor rights and other fundamental rights, as well as "the whitewashing and promotion of the extreme right."

The PCP also called for an intensification of the fight to end "Israel's genocidal terrorist aggression against the Palestinian people and the recognition of their independent and sovereign state," which it says is fundamental for "a just and lasting peace" in the Middle East.

The American B-29 bomber “Enola Gay” dropped the first atomic bomb in history on Hiroshima, in western Japan, 80 years ago on August 6, 1945.

Three days later, the same nightmare repeated itself in Nagasaki, about 400 kilometers further southwest.

The anniversary of the bombings will be marked this Wednesday and Saturday in both cities, in ceremonies attended by around one hundred countries.

The two nuclear bombs caused the deaths of 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki between August and the end of 1945.