Marion Kuepker (GAAA, Gewaltfreie Aktion Atomwaffen Abschaffen, Germany's Non-violent Action for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, of Hamburg, Germany) has released the following action alert, in partnership with IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), and Nukewatch Wisconsin:
Mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 after U.S. dropped first atomic bomb on a city in history.Our campaign: "Büchel is everywhere - nuclear-free now!" Worldwide Solidarity, is calling for signatures of individuals internationally: please read on!
Please print up a hard copy of the U.S. solidarity statement, (or see handbill for other countries here) fill it out, and mail it to:
Nukewatch
740A Round Lake Road
Luck, WI 54853
or
GAAA c/o M. Küpker
Beckstr.14,
20357 Hamburg, Germany
See the English language website here.
Background Information
Stop new nuclear bomb -- B61-12 -- for Europe!
US citizens solidarity declaration needed -- strengthen the global network!
German campaign to send the existing US nukes back home, and to organize against the new B61-12 US nuclear bomb, which is planned to be built in the US by 2020 for five European countries (Italy, Belgium, Holland, Turkey and Germany):
Despite the end of the Cold War, about 20 US nuclear bombs are still deployed at a German Air Force Base named Büchel. German pilots will have to take off with these bombs in Tornado fighter planes when the order comes from the US president, through NATO (North American Treaty Organization), to drop them on their targets. This horrifying vision is part of the "nuclear sharing agreement" in NATO, with its nuclear detererence policy, and includes the first strike option.
These weapons of mass destruction – illegal under both German and international law -- are planned to be replaced by expensive (a $10 billion program), new, precision-guided nuclear weapons in the near future, through the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) nuclear weapons complex. All three national nuclear laboratories (the Y-12 Plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; the Kansas City Plant, in Kansas City, KS; and Sandia Lab in Albuquerque, NM) are part of B61-12 construction, mainly through Boeing (tailfin kit: $1.8 billion), Lockheed Martin, Honeywell and Bechtel. With about 400 B61-12 bombs to be refurbished for Europe, that’s about $25 million per bomb, calculated by expert Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. (See his June 15, 2011 article.)
(See also a November 5, 2015 PBS Newshour article, "Photos: What an $8 billion nuclear bomb upgrade looks like.")
20 weeks of action at the Büchel base
Twenty weeks for twenty bombs – starting again on March 26*, 2017 until August 9th, groups and individuals will hold vigils and other kinds of nonviolent direct action (blockades, trespassing, etc.) at the Büchel base to pressure the government, leading up to the next election in Germany in September, 2017.
(*26 March 2010 cross-party motion calling on the government to work towards a withdrawal of nuclear weapons!)
And for those who can take a further step:
Declaration of Commitment
Our German-wide campaign, "Büchel is everywhere – nuclear free now!“ is organized by 50 organizations/groups. The active presence at Büchel is planned to be the beginning of a long-term phase of action to prevent the nuclear upgrade. The core element of the campaign is our Declaration of Commitment signature campaign where people declare in public (on our website):
"I will come to Büchel once a year and take part in an action until nuclear weapons are withdrawn, and I will actively commit to seeking a nuclear weapons-free world in the place where I am living."
We also plan to have an international week of action in 2017. If you are interested in joining, please contact: mariongaaa@gmx.de, or via our website: www.buechel-atombombenfrei.de, and let us know about any support you might need. All kinds of housing, including camping opportunities, exists in this beautiful volcanic region. There will be an office and a contact person nearby.
In 2016 we had 20 weeks of actions with 45 religious, peace, women, anti-nuclear, and other groups participating.
Besides the Declaration of Commitment, we also have a Declaration of Solidarity especially for people who cannot come, but who want to show their full support (please see above: sign on the other side of the page, and mail it to one of the addresses provided).
In Germany, the peace movement always risks the possibility of being considered "anti-American." With plenty of signatures from the US peace & justice movement, we can show that we are united in our vision for a nuclear-free world – also with indigenous peoples and other people of color, who are disproportionally impacted by the nuclear production chain. We don't want new nuclear weapons, and we believe the money should go to the people's real needs!