Over
6,000 people from all over Japan converged on Hiroshima Chuo Park to
spell out their opposition to war. The demonstration was especially
poignant, since Hiroshima was the first place that civilians were
incinerated by American nuclear weapons.
Standing clothed, the protesters formed the words "NO WAR NO
DU!" DU stands for depleted uranium - nuclear waste used in
bullets and armor-piercing shells, which spreads radioactive dust
across battle zones. DU has
been blamed for the sharp increase in cancers and birth defects in
Iraq, where it has been widely used by American and British forces.