By Peace Movement Aotearoa

“On July 2, 1966 the calm of French Polynesia’s Mururoa atoll was shattered by an explosion of unbelievable force. Within a second, the azure tropical sky flashed bright orange, and was ruptured by a towering radioactive cloud that mushroomed into the atmosphere; the placid lagoon was stirred into a tempestuous cauldron, while the coconut trees on the white sand islets were bent by the sheer force of the nuclear explosion. “It’s beautiful”, said President Charles de Gaulle.” ( https://www.facebook.com/PeaceMovementAotearoa/posts/2289709457743077 )

Today is the 54th anniversary of France’s first nuclear bomb detonation in French Occupied Polynesia, the first in a total of 193 bomb “tests” at Mururoa and Fangataufa from 1966 to 1996 which left a toxic radioactive legacy that continues to cause immense harm to the health and wellbeing of Tahitians and other Pacific peoples, and threatens the future of the Pacific ocean.
To mark this year’s anniversary, here are some links to further information as a reminder of the tragic and long lasting impact the insane pursuit of nuclear weapons supremacy has had in the Pacific.
No te parau tia, no te parau mau, no te tiamaraa, e tu, e tu – For justice, for truth and for independence, wake up, stand up!

The original article can be found here