Several activist groups converged at Albuquerque's Morningside Park recently to protest the presence and development of nuclear weapons.

Carrying signs that read “Every war is a war against our children,” “Say no to nukes” and “Green Party is the Peace Party,” the protesters voiced concerns over the threat of nuclear weapons in light of the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine.

“We have to end nuclear weapons,” Bill Tiwald with Veterans for Peace told KOB. “We have to abolish them. We have no choice.”

The protesters said they want to see an end to nuclear arms to create a safer future for the world. They called on national labs in the state, such as Sandia Lab, to stop developing these weapons.

“Of course, Sandia Lab is a weapons laboratory and very important to the economy of this state,” Tiwald said. “However, we believe that their brain power should be put to greater use. There are many other issues human beings face. We wish they would stop doing the research on creating more nuclear weapons."

Tiwald was the protest organizer, saying the year-old war in Ukraine has brought the decades-long concern about a nuclear war to the forefront once again. 

“Because of the Ukraine war, the time is right to talk about it,” he said.

The Sandia National Laboratory says its mission is to ensure “the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure and reliable, and can fully support our nation’s deterrence policy.”