Hiroshima Day in Los Angeles, August 6, 2023, holding up a photograph of the bombing of Hiroshima. Photo: revcom.us
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the U.S. government dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantly incinerating tens of thousands of Japanese people. By the end of 1945, between 140,000 and 150,000 people, overwhelmingly civilians, died. Hundreds of thousands more were wounded.
The U.S. never apologized for this crime against humanity. Right now, they are facing off with their nuclear-armed imperialist rivals to maintain their position as the top imperialist power in the world. The U.S. is waging a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine and making war threats against China. These could lead to direct military confrontations which could spiral out into nuclear annihilation.
The revolutionary leader Bob Avakian has said:
We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to continue to dominate the world and determine the destiny of humanity. And it is a scientific fact that humanity does not have to live this way—a whole different way to organize society, a whole better world, is possible.
WE DECLARE AND DEMAND: The Existing Capitalist-Imperialist System And Institutions Of Government In This Country Must Be Abolished and Dismantled—And Replaced By A New, Socialist System Based On The CONSTITUTION FOR THE NEW SOCIALIST REPUBLIC IN NORTH AMERICA.
Los Angeles
Hiroshima Day in Los Angeles, August 6, 2023. Photo: Ringo Chiu
The Revolution Club in LA took up the call from Revcom.us to declare NO MORE! In Little Tokyo Sunday, August 6th on the 78th Anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Reading the poster of American Crimes, August 6, 2023, Hiroshima Day in Los Angeles. Photo: revcom.us
Hiroshima Day, Los Angeles, August 6, 2023 Photo: revcom.us
They set up a large display featuring the photo of the nuclear blast over Hiroshima. As well as slogans connecting this American Crime to the extreme present day danger of nuclear war.
The Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. Were Crimes Against Humanity!
No War With Russia! Stop U.S. Threats Against China! No WW3!
It Is This System, Not Humanity, That Must Become Extinct!
We Don’t Accept Their Future — It’s Time to Get Organized for a Real Revolution
Hiroshima Day, Los Angeles, August 6, 2023. Photo: Ringo Chiu
A volunteer did special fx make up in the plaza as The Revcoms went “LIVE” on Tik Tok opening up the conversation online and on the ground. During this “live,” different members of the National Revolution Tour interacted with comments from the viewers justifying what happened, like “it was a war, this is what happens in war.” Other comments were about the actual scale of the atrocity, with people agonizing about what could be done to prevent such a crime from happening again.
Hiroshima Day in Los Angeles, August 6, 2023. Photo: revcom.us
The Revolution Club held two mini rallies where a “nuclear alarm” siren was sounded and clouds of black smoke were released to reveal the Revolution Tour member with fx make up of burned flesh and tattered clothing. The story of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were told over the mic, along with a dramatic reading of testimonials from survivors of the bombings.
Hiroshima Day, Los Angeles, August 6, 2023. Photo: revcom.us
Fox News Los Angeles Channel 11 coverage of the August 6th Hiroshima Day protest in Little Tokyo.
KNBC Los Angeles Channel 4 coverage of August 6th Hiroshima Day protest in Little Tokyo.
The RevComs brought alive this from the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian
We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to continue to dominate the world and determine the destiny of humanity. And it is a scientific fact that humanity does not have to live this way—a whole different way to organize society, a whole better world, is possible.
We distributed “We are the Revcoms” and “We Need and We Demand.” We invited people to dig into this, and be part of spreading them all over Los Angeles. While too many people walked by – without paying attention, some were shaken by the dramatic display, some donated, signed up, took pictures and took materials.
New York City
Hiroshima Day, Times Square, NYC Photo: revcom.us
Hiroshima Day, New York City, Times Square Photo: revcom.us
Hiroshima Day, New York City, Times Square. Photo: revcom.us
San Francisco
Hiroshima Day, San Francisco, August 6, 2023. Photo: revcom.us
Revcoms and supporters went to the yearly Nihonmachi Street Fair in San Francisco’s Japantown which this year fell on the 78th anniversary of the horrific A-bombing of Hiroshima.
The revcoms performed a skit a busy section of the fair - it portrayed people on their way to school, to work — suddenly engulfed in the flash of the explosion, blown sideways, knocked unconscious sinking to die-in on the ground. Someone in a hazmat suit appeared, “The Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. Were Crimes Against Humanity!” People stopped to take it in, cameras out — one by one we rose up chanting “No War With Russia! Stop U.S. Threats Against China! No WW3! It Is This System, Not Humanity, That Must Become Extinct! We Don’t Accept Their Future — It’s Time to Get Organized for a Real Revolution!"
Then they fanned out and began to distribute the materials, talking with people who stopped to watch the skit: teenagers who asked about the war in Ukraine, Japanese-American adults who said they agreed with what was being exposed about the bombing, but questioned if there was a way to dismantle the stockpiles of nukes. The revcoms pointed to the statement by Bob Avakian, “ We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to continue to dominate the world and determine the destiny of humanity. And it is a scientific fact that humanity does not have to live this way—a whole different way to organize society, a whole better world, is possible.”
In minutes the group was surrounded by organizers flanked by police who said that they had paid for the use of the public streets and they wanted people to enjoy themselves, have fun and they didn’t want us to “kill that vibe” by making people think about what had occurred on August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan.
While getting escorted by police and the organizers out of the festival, the revcoms chanted "No war with Russia! No World War 3! It's time to fight for humanity! No threats on China! No World War 3! Make revolution - get humanity free!" and called on the visitors to stand with us in telling the truth about and condemning the crimes of this system committed in their name, to act in the interests of humanity and get organized for a real revolution. Outside the festival they regrouped and performed the skit in the street two more times.
