remembrance
In praise of the white poppy
05/11/2013Ekklesia
Ekklesia
Jill Segger considers the growing appeal of the white poppy
‘Remembrance Day poppies should be white’
08/01/2013Telegraph
Telegraph
White poppies should be worn on Remembrance Sunday rather than the traditional red poppy to commemorate civilian victims rather than Britain's military dead, actor Mark Rylance has said.
Wear your poppy with peaceful intent
26/11/2012Guardian comment by Ted Harrison
Guardian comment by Ted Harrison
Remembrance was intended to be a pledge that war must never happen again. It must not glorify or sanitise war.
Respect war dead by working for peace, say public figures
26/11/2012Ekklesia
Ekklesia
As ceremonies of Remembrance take place across Britain, a number of public figures have expressed their commitment to working for peace in a world still torn apart by conflict.
Not just waving poppies, but drowning thought
06/01/2012Ekklesia
Ekklesia
"There may well be a boom in poppy sales, but the act of Remembrance itself has been cheapened by a failure to back up words with action, particularly when it comes to successive governments' care for victims of war, but equally in terms of the appalling the lack of resources put into peacebuilding."
The red poppy: a compromised symbol?
06/01/2012Ekklesia
"The growing compulsion to wear a red poppy and to acquiesce in the remodelling of its purpose has diverted our attention from the more enduring and demanding aspects of remembering the destruction, personal, collective and environmental, which is the outcome of military action."
Poppy chatter is a distraction from remembrance of the living
06/01/2012The Guardian
The Guardian
Whatever one's stance on poppy-wearing, let us also not forget the ex-servicemen who survive – but only just
St Pauls poppy installation remembers child soldiers
16/11/2011St Paul's Cathedral
An installation of poppies in St Paul's Cathedral marks the continued involvement of children in war, despite its practice being declared illegal by the UN.
I wept as I comforted our soldiers maimed in Iraq’: How could I tell them Blair’s ‘just war’ was an illusion?
12/11/2011Daily Mail
Daily Mail
"We can best pay tribute to their sacrifices by ensuring that in the future no British sailor, soldier, Marine or airman is asked to lay down their life except for the most urgent and honourable of causes."
Poppy Appeal is a political tool to support current wars
21/11/2010Wales On Sunday
Wales On Sunday
The true meaning of the poppy is being forgotten as it becomes a political tool to support current wars, a former elite soldier has claimed. Ben Griffin, the first SAS soldier to refuse to go into combat, also said the use of the word "hero" to describe soldiers glorified war and was an "attempt to stifle criticism" of conflicts the UK is currently fighting.