Bells ring out for Treaty
'‘A significant pointer towards changing international attitudes to nuclear weapons.'
Newcastle Quakers are just one of the many Meetings which are displaying a banner to celebrate the day (22 January) when the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is ratified.
Local Friend Sue Bennet, a longtime peace campaigner, told the Friend: ‘My hope is that it raises general awareness about the treaty so people might google it.’
Tottenham Quakers will also be holding a commemorative event, starting at noon to coincide with the ringing of bells throughout the UK, to celebrate.
Honduras became the fiftieth state to sign the treaty in October 2020, meaning that it now comes into force as international law. The UK government is still refusing to engage with the treaty.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said that although the terms of the TPNW only apply to the countries that have signed and ratified the agreement, it is ‘a significant pointer towards changing international attitudes to nuclear weapons. Previous treaties prohibiting chemical and biological weapons helped to stigmatise them in the minds of the public. This is now taking place with nuclear weapons.’
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