Press releases

Joining more than 8,500 cities worldwide in taking a stand for nuclear disarmament: Once again this year, the City of Aachen and the Aachen City Region participated in the international “Mayors for Peace” Flag Day. On Wednesday, July 8, the green peace flag was raised at Aachen City Hall for the sixth time. It will fly at City Hall for one week to promote peace and a world without nuclear weapons.

In her opening remarks at the rally organized by the Aachen Alliance Against Nuclear Weapons, Mayor Ulla Griepentrog clearly articulated the purpose of the event: “We are witnessing something today that particularly concerns me: It is not only weapons that change the world, but words as well. Terms such as peace, security, and ceasefire are increasingly being co-opted for political or military interests. But a ceasefire must not merely be a brief interruption of hostilities; it must serve to protect people.”

“War knows no victors. Peace is fragile, even in Europe,” emphasized Marie-Theres Sobczyk, deputy councilor of the City Region. The message of Mayors for Peace is more relevant today than ever. “That is why we are sending this message today. Even if messages cannot stop missiles, they keep our hopes alive. They make it clear that we must never grow accustomed to war, violence, and the nuclear threat,” Griepentrog continued.

In his welcoming remarks, Pastor Hans-Otto von Danwitz, chairman of pax christi, referred to the encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas*, in which Pope Leo XIV strongly warns against entrusting deadly or irreversible decisions to artificial systems, which are being used with increasing frequency in the form of AI and drone-controlled objects. “As the Aachen Alliance Against Nuclear Weapons, we renew our call for the Federal Republic of Germany to also accede to the 2021 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,” said von Danwitz.

The rally in front of City Hall was marked by clear and strong appeals to political decision-makers to commit more strongly and reliably to world peace and disarmament. By singing well-known peace songs loudly and in unison, the gathered participants once again gave special expression to their appeals, wishes, and hopes.

Mayors for Peace

In 1982, Takeshi Araki, then mayor of Hiroshima, founded the “Mayors for Peace” movement. This initiative, involving cities around the world, is dedicated to peace work and nuclear disarmament. In a legal opinion issued on July 8, 1996, the International Court of Justice in The Hague declared that the threat or use of nuclear weapons constitutes a violation of international law. To commemorate this, cities that show solidarity with the “Mayors for Peace” movement fly the initiative’s flag on this day. Aachen has been part of the alliance since 1985. It is thus one of over 900 cities and municipalities in Germany and more than 8,500 worldwide.

Aachen Alliance against Nuclear Weapons

The Aachen Alliance Against Nuclear Weapons has been active in Aachen for six years. It consists of DFG-VK, VVN/BdA, IPPNW, and pax christi in the Diocese of Aachen. These organizations consistently highlight the urgency of resuming disarmament negotiations among the nuclear powers and advocate for the global entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.