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=== Controversy === |
=== Controversy === |
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[[File:White Wreath for Peace at the Cenotaph in 2018.jpg|thumb|right|White poppy wreath at [[The Cenotaph, Whitehall]] in 2018, the centenary of the end of the First World War]] |
[[File:White Wreath for Peace at the Cenotaph in 2018.jpg|thumb|right|White poppy wreath at [[The Cenotaph, Whitehall]] in 2018, the centenary of the end of the First World War]] |
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The [[Royal British Legion]] has no official opinion on the wearing of white poppies, stating that it "is a matter of choice, the Legion doesn't have a problem whether you wear a red one or a white one, both or none at all".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/red-white-or-none-at-all-the-great-poppy-debate-6230165.html|title=Red, white, or none at all? The great poppy debate|last=Brown|first=Jonathan|date=11 November 2006|newspaper=[[The Independent on Sunday]]|access-date=9 November 2008}}</ref> Opponents<ref>{{cite news |url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2012/11/09/20343816.html |title=Legion sees red over white poppy campaign |first=Kendall |last=Walters |website=Cnews.canoe.ca |date=9 November 2012 |access-date=9 November 2012 }}</ref> of the white poppy argue that the traditional red poppy already encompasses the sentiments claimed for the white poppy, such as "remembering all victims of war", and consider that it undermines the message of remembrance. Some groups such as Northern Irish nationalists though still see the red poppy as primarily remembering the British dead and not those who were victims in wars against the British, hence the belief that the red poppy is a political symbol.<ref> |
The [[Royal British Legion]] has no official opinion on the wearing of white poppies, stating that it "is a matter of choice, the Legion doesn't have a problem whether you wear a red one or a white one, both or none at all".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/red-white-or-none-at-all-the-great-poppy-debate-6230165.html|title=Red, white, or none at all? The great poppy debate|last=Brown|first=Jonathan|date=11 November 2006|newspaper=[[The Independent on Sunday]]|access-date=9 November 2008}}</ref> Opponents<ref>{{cite news |url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2012/11/09/20343816.html |title=Legion sees red over white poppy campaign |first=Kendall |last=Walters |website=Cnews.canoe.ca |date=9 November 2012 |access-date=9 November 2012 }}</ref> of the white poppy argue that the traditional red poppy already encompasses the sentiments claimed for the white poppy, such as "remembering all victims of war", and consider that it undermines the message of remembrance. Some groups such as Northern Irish nationalists though still see the red poppy as primarily remembering the British dead and not those who were victims in wars against the British, hence the belief that the red poppy is a political symbol.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theconversation.com/poppies-are-a-political-symbol-both-on-and-off-the-football-pitch-68113|title=Poppies are a political symbol – both on and off the football pitch|first=Paul|last=Breen|website=Theconversation.com|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref> In the 1930s, when the white poppy was first established, some women lost their jobs for wearing them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/remembrance/how/poppy.shtml|title=Why the Poppy?|year=2008|work=Ninety Years of Remembrance|publisher=BBC|access-date=9 November 2008}}</ref> Others are concerned that the money raised by the white poppy appeal may affect the funds raised for the [[Royal British Legion]] by the red poppy appeal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wainwright|first=Martin|title=White poppies reopen old wounds / Disarmament divisions affect preparations for Remembrance Day|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=7 November 1986|page=6}}</ref> |
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In 1986, [[John Baker (bishop)|John Baker]], Bishop of Salisbury, stated in his diocesan newsletter that he had been asked about the appropriateness of the white poppy. Baker responded "let's not be hurt if we see a white poppy...there is plenty of space for red and white to bloom side by side."<ref name="wh">{{cite book |first=William |last=Hetherington |title=Swimming Against the Tide: The Peace Pledge Union Story |publisher=The Peace Pledge Union |location=London |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-902680-51-7 |pages=48–49 }}</ref> Salisbury MP [[Robert Key (politician)|Robert Key]] disagreed, and later that year asked British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] her opinion on the issue. Thatcher expressed her "deep distaste" for the symbol during [[prime minister's questions]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Bill |last=Hetherington |chapter=Symbols of Peace |title=Housmans Peace Diary 2007 |publisher=Housmans Bookshop |location=London |year=2006 |edition=54th }}</ref> In response, the White Poppy campaign received much media coverage in Britain.<ref name="wh" /> The ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]'' ran several articles criticising the White Poppy campaign.<ref name="wh" /> In ''[[The Guardian]]'', artist [[Steve Bell (cartoonist)|Steve Bell]] published a cartoon satirising Thatcher's opposition to white poppies, which he allowed the [[Peace Pledge Union]] to republish.<ref name="wh" /> |
In 1986, [[John Baker (bishop)|John Baker]], Bishop of Salisbury, stated in his diocesan newsletter that he had been asked about the appropriateness of the white poppy. Baker responded "let's not be hurt if we see a white poppy...there is plenty of space for red and white to bloom side by side."<ref name="wh">{{cite book |first=William |last=Hetherington |title=Swimming Against the Tide: The Peace Pledge Union Story |publisher=The Peace Pledge Union |location=London |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-902680-51-7 |pages=48–49 }}</ref> Salisbury MP [[Robert Key (politician)|Robert Key]] disagreed, and later that year asked British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] her opinion on the issue. Thatcher expressed her "deep distaste" for the symbol during [[prime minister's questions]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Bill |last=Hetherington |chapter=Symbols of Peace |title=Housmans Peace Diary 2007 |publisher=Housmans Bookshop |location=London |year=2006 |edition=54th }}</ref> In response, the White Poppy campaign received much media coverage in Britain.<ref name="wh" /> The ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]'' ran several articles criticising the White Poppy campaign.<ref name="wh" /> In ''[[The Guardian]]'', artist [[Steve Bell (cartoonist)|Steve Bell]] published a cartoon satirising Thatcher's opposition to white poppies, which he allowed the [[Peace Pledge Union]] to republish.<ref name="wh" /> |
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In November 2014, white poppy wreaths on the [[Aberystwyth]] War Memorial had to be replaced after they were removed from the Memorial and thrown in a bin.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/peace-campaigners-outraged-after-white-8123699 |title=Peace campaigners outraged after white poppy wreaths torn down from Aberystwyth War Memorial |newspaper=[[Western Mail (Wales)|Wales Online]] |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=17 January 2015 |first=Alicia |last=Melville-Smith }}</ref> In 2018 there were widespread reports of white poppy wreaths being removed from war memorials.<ref>{{cite news |title=White poppy wreath 'pinched' from Bath War Memorial within a day of Remembrance Sunday celebrations |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/in-your-area/white-poppy-wreath-pinched-bath-2218342 |access-date=14 December 2018 |publisher=Somerset live |date=14 November 2018}}</ref> [[St John Ambulance in England]] allowed its volunteers to wear white poppies for the first time.<ref>{{cite news |title=White 'pacifist' poppies allowed by St John Ambulance for first time in its history |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/white-poppies-pacifist-st-john-ambulance-symbol-world-war-one-remembrance-red-british-legion-a8584526.html |access-date=14 December 2018 |work=The Independent |date=15 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/15/st-john-ambulance-volunteers-white-poppy-red-poppy-remembrance-day | title=St John Ambulance to let volunteers wear white remembrance poppy| newspaper=[[The Guardian]]| date=15 October 2018 |
In November 2014, white poppy wreaths on the [[Aberystwyth]] War Memorial had to be replaced after they were removed from the Memorial and thrown in a bin.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/peace-campaigners-outraged-after-white-8123699 |title=Peace campaigners outraged after white poppy wreaths torn down from Aberystwyth War Memorial |newspaper=[[Western Mail (Wales)|Wales Online]] |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=17 January 2015 |first=Alicia |last=Melville-Smith }}</ref> In 2018 there were widespread reports of white poppy wreaths being removed from war memorials.<ref>{{cite news |title=White poppy wreath 'pinched' from Bath War Memorial within a day of Remembrance Sunday celebrations |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/in-your-area/white-poppy-wreath-pinched-bath-2218342 |access-date=14 December 2018 |publisher=Somerset live |date=14 November 2018}}</ref> [[St John Ambulance in England]] allowed its volunteers to wear white poppies for the first time.<ref>{{cite news |title=White 'pacifist' poppies allowed by St John Ambulance for first time in its history |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/white-poppies-pacifist-st-john-ambulance-symbol-world-war-one-remembrance-red-british-legion-a8584526.html |access-date=14 December 2018 |work=The Independent |date=15 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/15/st-john-ambulance-volunteers-white-poppy-red-poppy-remembrance-day | title=St John Ambulance to let volunteers wear white remembrance poppy| newspaper=[[The Guardian]]| date=15 October 2018| author=Robert Booth}}</ref> [[Johnny Mercer (politician)|Johnny Mercer]] (Conservative MP) said that white poppies were "attention seeking rubbish". The Royal British Legion said that it defends the right to wear different poppies.<ref>{{cite news |title=White poppy: How is it different from the red remembrance symbol? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45971456 |access-date=14 December 2018 |work=BBC News |date=25 October 2018}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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The white poppy is a flower used as a symbol of peace, worn either in place of or in addition to the red remembrance poppy for Remembrance DayorAnzac Day.
In 1926, a few years after the introduction of the red poppy in the UK, the idea of pacifists making their own poppies was put forward by a member of the No More War Movement (as well as the proposal that the black centre of the British Legion's red poppies should be imprinted with "No More War").[1][2] Their intention was to remember casualties of all wars, with the added meaning of a hope for the end of all wars; the red poppy signified only the British military dead.[3] However, they did not pursue the idea.[1] The first white poppies were sold by the Co-operative Women's Guild in 1933.[4] The Peace Pledge Union (PPU)[5] took part in their distribution from 1936, and white poppy wreaths were laid from 1937 as a pledge to peace that war must not happen again.[1][6] Anti-war organisations such as the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship now support the White Poppy Movement.[2]
Those who promote the wearing of white poppies argue that the red poppy also conveys a specific political standpoint, and point to the divisive nature of the red poppy in Northern Ireland, where it is worn mainly by unionists but boycotted by Irish republicans.[7]
Sales of white poppies steadily rose throughout the 2010s, often causing supporters of the PPU to become targets of abuse. On 1 November 2018 sales of white poppies were higher than in any previous year since white poppies were founded in 1933. As of 7 November 2018, 119,555 white poppies had been sold. The final figure was 122,385. The previous record was 110,000 white poppies in 2015. Until 2014, the record was around 80,000 in 1938.[8][9]
Those who endorse the white poppy campaign include actor Mark Rylance,[10] poet Benjamin Zephaniah[11] and rapper Lowkey.[12][better source needed]
Children's author Michael Morpurgo described his decision to wear a white poppy alongside his red one in a Radio Times article:
In New Zealand, a White Poppy Annual Appeal has been run since 2009 by Peace Movement Aotearoa in the week preceding Anzac Day, with all proceeds going to White Poppy Peace Scholarships.[14] The appeal was controversial for some, with Veterans' Affairs Minister Judith Collins describing the white poppy appeal as "incredibly disrespectful to those who served their country".[15]
White poppies have also been worn in New Zealand to mark Remembrance Day. In previous years, the annual white poppy appeal was run as a fundraiser for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament around the time of Hiroshima Day in August. Responsibility for organising the annual appeal was transferred to Peace Movement Aotearoa, as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in New Zealand closed down in 2008.[14]
The Royal British Legion has no official opinion on the wearing of white poppies, stating that it "is a matter of choice, the Legion doesn't have a problem whether you wear a red one or a white one, both or none at all".[16] Opponents[17] of the white poppy argue that the traditional red poppy already encompasses the sentiments claimed for the white poppy, such as "remembering all victims of war", and consider that it undermines the message of remembrance. Some groups such as Northern Irish nationalists though still see the red poppy as primarily remembering the British dead and not those who were victims in wars against the British, hence the belief that the red poppy is a political symbol.[18] In the 1930s, when the white poppy was first established, some women lost their jobs for wearing them.[19] Others are concerned that the money raised by the white poppy appeal may affect the funds raised for the Royal British Legion by the red poppy appeal.[20]
In 1986, John Baker, Bishop of Salisbury, stated in his diocesan newsletter that he had been asked about the appropriateness of the white poppy. Baker responded "let's not be hurt if we see a white poppy...there is plenty of space for red and white to bloom side by side."[21] Salisbury MP Robert Key disagreed, and later that year asked British prime minister Margaret Thatcher her opinion on the issue. Thatcher expressed her "deep distaste" for the symbol during prime minister's questions.[22] In response, the White Poppy campaign received much media coverage in Britain.[21] The Daily Star ran several articles criticising the White Poppy campaign.[21]InThe Guardian, artist Steve Bell published a cartoon satirising Thatcher's opposition to white poppies, which he allowed the Peace Pledge Union to republish.[21]
In November 2014, white poppy wreaths on the Aberystwyth War Memorial had to be replaced after they were removed from the Memorial and thrown in a bin.[23] In 2018 there were widespread reports of white poppy wreaths being removed from war memorials.[24] St John Ambulance in England allowed its volunteers to wear white poppies for the first time.[25][26] Johnny Mercer (Conservative MP) said that white poppies were "attention seeking rubbish". The Royal British Legion said that it defends the right to wear different poppies.[27]
Rise above the wars / The folly of endless fight, / Let's try making love, / Let's make our poppies white.
Hip Hop artist Lowkey is wearing a white poppy
