PEACE campaigners marked the 79th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing today by holding vigils to honour the hundreds of thousands of victims of the US atrocity.

CND general secretary Kate Hudson said: “It’s been 79 years since the nuclear atrocities committed by the US on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Each year we gather to commemorate and mourn the dead, and remember those afflicted with a lifetime of suffering.

“We pledge never to let such crimes be committed again. Now we must deliver  on this pledge.

“The threat of nuclear war has never been higher. With a new nuclear arms race under way, amid threats of nuclear use, we must step up to spread our message, and escalate our work for peace, cooperation, and disarmament.”

A spokeswoman for Momentum said: “The US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were among the most appalling atrocities of the 20th century, for which there is no moral justification.