Suche
Mein Konto
Criticism and conflicts: Darmstadt misses peace rally on Hiroshima Day
On July 8, 2025, Darmstadt and Mayor Hanno Benz will raise the flag of “Mayors for Peace” and set an example for nuclear disarmament.
Criticism and conflicts: Darmstadt misses peace rally on Hiroshima Day
July 8, 2025 will go down in history as a memorable date as this day marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The flag of the international network “Mayors for Peace” was raised in Darmstadt to send a strong signal for peace and nuclear disarmament. The members of this network, including over 8,480 cities in 166 countries, work together for a peaceful and nuclear weapons-free world, as mayorsforpeace.org emphasizes.
Although the weather conditions were favorable for participation in the rally, the city of Darmstadt was not involved in the memorial event. This took place last year together with the Darmstadt Peace Forum. However, Mayor Hanno Benz (SPD) firmly opposed participation and refrained from speaking at the peace rally on Luisenplatz. This happened after he had already agreed for the previous year, explained fr.de.
Controversies and criticism
The decision to stay away from the rally caused discontent. Mayor Benz severely criticized the Darmstadt Peace Alliance for supposedly anti-Semitic statements during an “anti-colonial peace Christmas market” in December 2024. This event, which featured anti-Israel slogans, remained unacceptable for Benz, and he called for distancing, which has not yet materialized to this day. The Peace Forum only found out about the mayor's cancellation during the rally, which further inflamed the situation. Regina Hagen from the Peace Forum commented on this and made it clear that the content of the Christmas market was not their focus, which is why they did not have to distance themselves from the statements.
These developments are causing a certain unrest in the peace movement in Darmstadt. The city joined the “Mayors for Peace” network in 1998, which continuously advocates for the disarmament of nuclear weapons and for peace. Flag Day and the associated actions in Darmstadt have existed since 2012 and are well anchored among the citizens.
Joint actions for peace
To mark the International Day against Nuclear Armament, the Peace Forum nevertheless held several symbolic actions. This included sowing ginkgo seeds from a “Hibaku” tree that survived the 1945 atomic bombings. At the same time, a wooden peace pole with the inscription “May there be peace on earth” was erected to emphasize the message of peace. As a special highlight, Mayor Benz and the Peace Forum symbolically raised the “Mayors for Peace” flag and the “No-No-Njet” flag on Luisenplatz in front of the Sparkasse.
The international organization Mayors for Peace, founded in 1982 at the initiative of then-Mayor of Hiroshima Takeshi Araki, is dedicated to global efforts to promote peace and alert the world to the need for nuclear disarmament. This mission remains of significant importance, given the humanitarian consequences of the two nuclear attacks on Japan, which killed over 210,000 people, as mayorsforpeace.org notes.
Overall, the situation in Darmstadt and the debate about peace and disarmament remain tense. While political tensions continue, civil society's commitment to peace and against nuclear weapons remains unbroken.