Xanthe Hall, 64, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign to abolish nuclear weapons. In the interview she explains how protest becomes successful – and why it is currently under threat.
Ms. Hall, you have been fighting against them since the 1980s Atomic bomb. What consequence of this weapon do you fear most?
Phew, pick a picture. The ones from melting skin or eyes falling out get burned. But I think the worst thing is that anyone who survived the bomb, anyone who actually managed to do it, is at risk of radiation sickness. The body slowly dissolves from within. But we at the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons never wanted to work with fear, but rather with medical education. After all, we were founded by the Association of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
They helped ensure that the UN passed a treaty banning nuclear weapons in 2017. In the same year you received the Nobel Peace Prize. Will Putin’s war or Trump’s thoughtless statements about NATO now destroy your life’s work?
Since the Ukraine war the situation has become very dangerous. I’m 64 years old now, and some days I wonder whether I can still afford this fight, whether we even have time for it anymore. Upgrading is very quick. There was once a social consensus in Germany that nuclear weapons had to be banned. Through the Russian invasion war we are rolling backwards
Xanthe Hall was born in Scotland in 1959. She began protesting against nuclear weapons when she was just 19 years old. In 1985 she emigrated to Germany. Since 1992 she has worked for the association “International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War” (IPPNW for short). In 2007, she launched the ICAN campaign (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). the abolition of nuclear weapons). Medal is owned by Xanthe Hall. She is married, has a son and lives in Berlin.
How do you notice that?
I’m hearing statements again that I last heard 40 years ago. I remember being a young woman demonstrating against rearmament in the 1980s and a man shouting at me: “Tell that to the Russians!” This enemy image is back. Of course Putin is responsible for the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, it hurts how much the pursuit of peace is suddenly polarizing.
