Commemorating Hiroshima in Casa Asia in Barcelona

Carles Martin Vilanova, spokesperson for World without Wars in Catalonia was given the opportunity to read the manifesto "To avoid a future catastrophe, we must act today" during the event in which representatives of some of the WM promoting organisations took part.

Montserrat Ponsa from the Culture of Peace Foundation spoke, and besides advocating for dialogue and cooperation as ways to resolve conflicts, she recalled the moment in which Federico Mayor Zaragoza asked her to take part in the WM base team.

Santi Santamaria, internationally famous award-winning chef, also spoke of his commitment to peace.  Speaking about his experience, he recalled that there are many edible mushrooms and some poisonous ones, but only one with no antidote.  "On the other hand", he said, "for the nuclear mushroom we do have an antidote and we must administer it through nonviolence."

Salvador Castañer, Director of Social Services for ONCE Catalonia, spoke as a blind man and recalled the great number of people who end up disabled during armed conflicts and re-affirmed ONCE's commitment to promote the WM.

The event was attended by representatives of Casa Asia, the event's hosts, Casa Foundation of Tibet and the international organisation Mayors for Peace, through a message sent by the Mayor of Granollers.  The Mayor himself, Josep Mayoral, was present in Hiroshima to take on the Vice-Presidency of the organisation that brings together Mayors from around the world and which is promoting the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol to abolish nuclear weapons.

The event that took place in the morning was followed in the afternoon by a vibrant street parade to bring home to the population the urgency of nuclear disarmament.

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.es/piroportela/AniversarioHiroshimaBarcelonaCasaAsia#slideshow