VIDEO: Defuse Nuclear War

By The Real News, June 16, 2022

Forty years ago, one million people gathered in Central Park to demand an end to the nuclear arms race. The threat of nuclear catastrophe persists to this day, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

On June 12, 1982, one million people gathered in Central Park to demand nuclear disarmament and an end to the Cold War arms race in the hope that humanity could avoid the ever-present threat of mutually assured destruction. Unfortunately, the dangerous production and stockpiling of civilization-ending nuclear weapons has continued, and the threat of nuclear catastrophe persists. On the 40th anniversary of the historic gathering in Central Park, with a focus on the current terrible dangers of nuclear war and the imperative of taking action to reduce them, the RootsAction Education Fund hosted the Defuse Nuclear War livestream, which brought together a range of presenters to renew calls for nuclear disarmament and to catalyze grassroots organizing. With permission from the event organizers, The Real News is publishing this panel discussion for our audience.

Nearly 100 peace, disarmament, and social justice organizations co-sponsored this event, which was sponsored by the RootsAction Education Fund. The livestream features presentations from a wide range of speakers, including Ryan Black, Hanieh Jodat Barnes, Medea Benjamin, Jerry Brown, Leslie Cagan, Mandy Carter, Emma Claire Foley, Pastor Michael McBride, Khury Petersen-Smith, David Swanson, Katrina vanden Heuvel, India Walton, and Ann Wright. Director/producer Jeff Daniels also speaks and presents excerpts from his documentary Television Event about the impacts of the 1983 TV film The Day After. This livestream also includes the world premiere of a video featuring Daniel Ellsberg on “defusing the threat of nuclear war,” produced by Oscar-nominated director Judith Ehrlich.