Friday, January 22, 1pm, outside of Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Ave. [across the street from the intersection with Old Cannon Dr.]

On Friday, January 22, at 1pm, Columbus activists will hold a rally outside of the Battelle Memorial Institute headquarters.

On that day, the world will declare nuclear weapons to be illegal under international law. That is the date when the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force. This amazing feat is the culmination of years of work by anti-war and human rights activists worldwide. Columbus activists will hold a rally at the Battelle Memorial Institute headquarters, at 1pm, on that date.

Battelle manages six nuclear weapons laboratories and has received billions for nuclear research and development. The rally will focus on the importance of Battelle converting its nuclear weapons work to life-affirming work that promotes health and equity, such as addressing pandemics.

Battelle is a private, non-profit charitable trust, organized for scientific and education purposes. Gordon Battelle left his fortune “to benefit mankind through science.” The institute opened its King Ave. site in Columbus in 1929.

More information about this event [Pat Marida’s 1-9-2021 article in the Columbus Free Press] may be found here.

Contact: Pat Marida, chair of the Ohio Sierra Club’s Nuclear Free Committee, <patmarida@outlook.com>.