Activists gather at Livermore Lab to demand nuclear abolition

from Tri-Valley CAREs:

On August 6, 2026, peace activists and community members gathered outside the West Gate of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and to demand the abolition of nuclear weapons. 

Under the theme, “Nuclear Abolition or Extinction? The Choice is Yours,” the gathering brought remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki directly to one of the two U.S. laboratories where nuclear weapons are designed. Participants honored the lives lost to the atomic bombings while calling attention to the continued expansion and modernization of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal today.

The program featured speakers John Burroughs of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy and Western States Legal Foundation, Tanvi Kardile and Anoushka Raj of Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment, Grace Morizawa of Asian Americans for Peace and Justice, Fr. Thomas Bonacci of The Interfaith Peace Project, and peace activist Patricia Ellsberg, widow of Pentagon Papers whistleblower and nuclear abolition advocate Daniel Ellsberg. Speakers connected the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the nuclear dangers we face today, including the development of new nuclear weapons, enormous federal spending on the weapons complex, and the continuing environmental and human consequences of nuclear weapons production.

The gathering also included a powerful performance by taiko drummers. 

Following the rally, participants moved into nonviolent direct action outside the Lab. Activists entered the roadway, joined hands and formed a line across the road, blocking it for approximately 30 minutes as an act of peaceful resistance to the work taking place behind the Lab’s gates.  

Thirteen participants were cited and released. 

As the number of surviving hibakusha, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, continues to decline, their demand that humanity ensure these weapons are never used again must be carried forward by new generations. Tri-Valley CAREs thanks everyone who joined us at the gates, spoke, performed, participated in nonviolent direct action, volunteered, watched the livestream, and stood with us in demanding a nuclear-weapons-free future. 

Please click on the links to read the talks by the speakers: 

• John Burroughs: Burroughs is Senior Analyst and former Executive Director for the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy. He has represented them in Non-Proliferation Treaty review proceedings and in negotiations on the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. He was a member of the legal team for the Marshall Islands in its nuclear disarmament cases in the International Court of Justice. Burroughs has a J.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. 
• Anoushka Raj: Raj is Tri-Valley CAREs’ Environmental Project Manager. With a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and a focus on Human Health and the Environment, Raj brings both an academic foundation and practical experience in addressing environmental challenges with an equity-driven approach. 
• Tanvi Kardile: Kardile is the Nuclear Policy Program Director at Tri-Valley CAREs, with a degree in International Security from San Diego State University and JD from the University of San Diego School of Law. Kardile is also President of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a nationwide network of nuclear watchdog groups located in communities with nuclear sites, of which Tri-Valley CAREs is a member group. 

More Photos of the event were clicked by Michael Kerr and can be found HERE. 

Watch a recording of the August 6 commemoration and action HERE.