Press releases

Yesterday, Tuesday, 10. December, Mayor Hilde Scheidt together with Odette Klepper and Volker Siller from the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Detlef Peikert from the Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime - League of Anti-Fascists (VVN/BdA), Friedgard Siepmann-Karrenbrock and Astrid Ensslen from the German Peace Society - United Opponents of Military Service (DFG-VK) and Kristina Blömer from pax christi in the diocese of Aachen, raised the "Mayers for Peace" flag at the town hall on the occasion of the ceremonial awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo in Oslo. "The issue of peace is very important to many people at the moment. It is also important to the city of Aachen to stand up for peace," says Mayor Scheidt. The flag will be flying at City Hall until next Sunday, December 15, as a symbol for peace. "Peace is the greatest wish for many people. The City of Aachen has been campaigning for peace and a world without nuclear weapons since 1986 with the "Mayors for Peace" campaign," said Mayor Scheidt.

Nobel Prize

The Nihon Hidankyo organization was founded in 1956 by hibakusha, the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By sharing their experiences of the terrible consequences of the atomic bomb explosions with the world, they were able to make a significant contribution to the realization that atomic bombs must never be used again. The awarding of the Nobel Prize is a tribute to their many years of commitment and a public recognition of their suffering, which was hushed up for many years, particularly in Japan. At the same time, it is also a reminder to the international community to work more intensively for a world free of nuclear weapons. It is also a call to the nuclear states and their allies to finally disarm. By once again awarding the prize to a non-governmental organization, the Nobel Prize Committee is once again emphasizing the importance of civil society involvement.

Aachen Alliance against Nuclear Weapons

The Aachen Alliance against Nuclear Weapons, consisting of the DFG-VK, VVN/BdA, IPPNW and pax christi in the diocese of Aachen, has been in existence in Aachen for five years, repeatedly pointing out the urgency of renewed disarmament negotiations between the nuclear powers and campaigning for the worldwide entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

"Mayors for peace"

The organization "Mayors for peace", founded in 1982 by Takeshi Araki, the then mayor of Hiroshima, has set itself the goal of world peace and global nuclear disarmament.