A citizen watch was held on July 16 near the CEA in Valduc. Activists for the abolition of nuclear weapons announce the commemoration on August 6 of the bombing of Hiroshima.
Communiqué of the Bourgogne Franche-Comté collective for the abolition of nuclear weapons of July 20, 2021:
This July 16, 2021 in Moloy, near the CEA Valduc site, 5 whistleblowers from the ‘Collectif Bourgogne Franche-Comté for the abolition of nuclear weapons’ carried out their 19th citizen watch for nuclear disarmament: they deployed banners calling for France to respect Article 6 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), for France’s accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TIAN) and for the conversion to these peaceful activities of sites of the ‘Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux energies alternatives’ (CEA) responsible for the maintenance and improvement of atomic bombs.
The inconsistencies of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence
Nuclear deterrence, “the keystone of our security”, consists of threatening to inflict reprisals on a potential adversary who attacks “our vital interests”.
In reality, this weapon is unusable
– strategically: its use would lead to incredible mutual destruction;
– politically: the user would be ostracized from the international community and from his own country – or what would be left after a response;
– legally: French military regulations prohibit the military, and therefore the shooting officers of nuclear missile submarines (SSBNs), from obeying orders contrary to international law and morals;
– ecologically: radioactivity has no borders.
However, an unusable weapon cannot have any deterrent effect since the potential aggressor knows that it will not be used … In fact, nuclear deterrence did not prevent Israel’s attack by Egypt in 1967, the Russo-Chinese war over Zenbao Island in 1969, the attack on the Falklands by Argentina in 1982, the Indo-Pakistani “glacier” war in 1999, the phagocytage of part of the Ukrainian Donbass by the Russia in 2014 …
A former French ambassador to the disarmament conference, Eric Danon, was able to say that nuclear weapons guarantee the security of France like an armored door guarantees the security of housing. In reality, nuclear deterrence is not an armored door, it is a wide open door with above the door a sign saying “Do not enter, danger of death!” “. But if a thief does not believe in the threat of death, he enters the house …
During a conference in 2017, a participant asked Jean-Claude Mallet, special advisor to Jean-Yves Le Drian, then Minister of Defense, the following question: “What is plan B in the event of failure of the deterrence? “. Jean-Claude Mallet’s answer is short and has the merit of clarity: “There is no plan B! “.
This assertion is however contradicted by Bruno Tertrais, ex-representative of the Director of Strategic Affairs of the Ministry of Defense, member of the commission of the ‘White Paper on Defense and National Security’, deputy director of the ‘Foundation for strategic research ‘(FRS), at a conference in November 2016: “My point was to say that nuclear weapons should never be considered technically. Never consider using a nuclear weapon because “there is no other technical solution” to destroy or neutralize a target. There is always a way. ”
While nuclear deterrence is supposedly “the keystone” of our defense, we are confused to hear one of its great theorists assert that we should never consider using it …
50 French cities in favor of TIAN
On June 25, 2021, Cédric Van Styvendael, mayor of Villeurbanne (2nd city of the Rhône), signs the ‘Call of the cities’ promoted by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Now, 50 cities in France – including Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Besançon – support the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
This commitment by cities, which will continue in France, is also taking place internationally, since 452 municipalities, in nuclear states or not, have already signed this Appeal. Among them, many capitals such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Canberra, Luxembourg, Manchester, Oslo, Toronto, or Washington DC
In total, 502 cities around the world have pledged to protect their inhabitants from nuclear weapons and to mobilize their states to have the TIAN ratified.
How can citizens support TIAN?
– Write to your Mayor, so that your municipality signs the ICAN Cities Appeal for nuclear disarmament, to your deputy and senator so that France ratifies the TIAN.
– Take part in citizen lookouts in Dijon or Valduc, in Paris and elsewhere. Next events in Valduc on August 6, 2021 and in Dijon from August 6 to 9 on the occasion of the commemoration of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
– Ask your bank about its financing of the atomic bomb.
– Take an interest in nuclear weapons, international security issues and democratic defense alternatives.
The vigilance and non-violent actions carried out by the ‘Collectif Bourgogne Franche Comté for the abolition of nuclear weapons’ are part of the framework of ICAN, ‘International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons’ Nobel Peace Prize 2017, and following on from previous UN victories: ban on biological weapons (1972), chemical weapons (1993), anti-personnel mines (1997), and cluster munitions (2008).
Discover the history with photos of actions in Dijon and Valduc since 2014.
The Bourgogne Franche-Comté collective for the abolition of nuclear weapons
http://abolitiondesarmesnucleaires.org – [email protected] – 06 14 24 86 96
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