The Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is holding its annual Hiroshima Day Commemoration tomorrow at 1pm at Merrion Square, Dublin.

Roger Cole, chairman of Peace and Neutrality Alliance, last night noted in a statement that on August 6th, 1945, 80,000 men, women and children were killed in a few minutes in the Japanese city. Radiation ensured that the death toll rose to between 90,000 and 140,000.

“As we watch the mass murder of the men, women and children of Gaza today, we remember Hiroshima and remember that then, just as today, the murder of men, women and children was justified because a state had the right ‘to defend itself’, and wonder how many men, women and children will be killed in Gaza before our Fine Gael/Labour Government stops saying that Israel has the right to ‘defend itself’.

“There are nearly 1.8 million people in Gaza,” Mr Cole added. “Will they continue to say Israel has the right to ‘defend itself’ until 80,000 people are killed or will they wait until 140,000 are killed?”