Is the Remembrance Poppy too political?

'They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them'
Laurence Binyon, 'For the Fallen, published in September 1914

This Sunday will mark the centenary of the end of the First World War (1914-1918), classed at the time as 'the war to end all wars'. In the fields of Western Europe, the red-flowered corn poppy began growing in the disturbed earth that saw destructive conflict take the lives of soldiers from numerous nations and walks of life. Canadian poet John McCrae penned the poem 'In Flanders Field' in May 1915 and referenced the poppies that grew over the battlefield; the opening line reads:
'In Flanders field the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row'.

It seemed fitting to adopt them as the symbol of remembrance for the fallen.

A simple act of remembrance

Since 1921, in the year of their own creation, the Royal British Legion has run the 'Poppy Appeal' to hand out plastic poppies to the public in exchange for a small donation that helps to continue their work of providing support to current/ former British military personnel. They weren't the first to adopt this symbol of remembrance, however. American YMCA worker Moina Michael vowed to wear a red poppy to serve as a tribute to everyone who had helped fight in the war. The National American Legion soon made it their official symbol of remembrance at a conference 1920, and once attendee Anna Guérin had sent her own poppy sellers to London then it was set in stone. The poppy was now a sign of respect for the fallen.

This brief history of the remembrance poppy is simple enough, and surely can't cause any amount of controversy, right? Well, we thought wrong. Over the years, the poppy has come to commemorate the war dead from all of Britain's conflicts, including the modern day conflicts in the Middle East. For some, the poppy has become too political and justifies the invasion of the region that are controversial enough due to its legality (or lack of it). The consensus is that the poppy is now used as a means to create support for British intervention abroad. Indeed, there's a feeling that an unwritten rule to don a poppy at work or school has been written, in that people are chastised for not wearing one. It's scary to think that the nice old man asking for donations for the Poppy Appeal may have just guilt-tripped you into placing a plastic poppy upon your breast.

Would you turn away from the poppy box?

Many people in the public spotlight have opted to abstain from wearing a poppy, all for various reasons. Stoke City midfielder James McClean, for example, grew up in the Northern Irish city of Derry, and was there when the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1972 occurred during The Troubles. As the poppy has moved away from remembering the dead of the First and Second World War, McClean is against wearing the symbol that now covers the times of strife in Ireland. After calling some Stoke fans 'cavemen', McClean shows no regret for standing by his morals. He does have a point though; Stoke fans aren't necessarily the most civilised of football fans. Much like their football really.

He already has to deal with the pain of playing for Stoke

To stay on the football pitch for a moment, there was a great deal of controversy over the Home Nations teams displaying poppies on their shirts during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. All were fined (the English FA had to pay £35,000) by FIFA for breaching the rules of displaying 'political or religious symbols'. FIFA had also turned down a proposal from the FA for the England team to wear poppies during a match with Spain in 2011, as it would encourage others to display political symbols that would '[jeopardise] the neutrality of football'. Rich coming from FIFA considering they are failing to deal with racism and discipline in sport, and their stance was met with criticism. They do have a point though, as the English Defence League took to the roof of FIFA's headquarters in Zurich in protest. When English radicals are kicking up a fuss, then you know that politics and patriotism are at play- all over a plastic poppy.

I don't want a fascist speaking for me, thank you very much 

Manchester United player Nemanja Matic also recently abstained from having a poppy on his shirt as it reminds him of when his village was bombed during a NATO-led offensive in the Kosovo War (1998-1999). Sport, obviously, isn't the only realm involved in poppy politics. In 2006, Jon Snow refused to wear a poppy when presenting the Channel 4 News as a stand against 'poppy fascism'. ITV news presenter Charlene White has been the subject of both racist and sexist abuse for not wearing a poppy, making this decision based on a sense of discomfort of favouring certain charities over others. Even veterans of the British armed forces have voiced their concerns on how the poppy is being used nowadays. RAF vet Harry Leslie Smith believes politicians have 'hijacked' the poppy's message to 'sell dubious wars' to the general public. That sense of patriotism felt when wearing a poppy is one allegedly built on false pretences.

A man loyal to his values 

Some opt to wear a white poppy instead, which has been in circulation since the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) introduced them in 1936. For them, the red poppy has created the effect of 'reinforcing support and acceptance of the military', and notes public concern on 'the poppy's association with military power and the justification of war'. While the Royal British Legion has spoken on their lack of preference on whether you choose red, white or no poppy at all, their popularity is worth noting. In 2014, for example, the PPU distributed around 99,000 white poppies, and even Jeremy Corbyn wore both a red and white poppy when laying a wreath in his constituency. If it's got the Chairman's backing, then maybe there is a case for the white poppy?

The white poppy: give peace a chance 

There is still plenty of support for the red poppy though. In 2016, the Royal British Legion announced how they had raised £47.6 million from the Poppy Appeal alone, which clearly shows the vast support still given to the poppy. The work done by the RBL in helping veterans live their lives after leaving the armed forces mean that it is a worthy cause to support. Some people aren't focused on the arguments of promoting politician's modern day wars, but are more focused on the act of remembrance itself. It's become a tradition to wear a poppy, and it is wonderful to see everyone doing their bit to support a charity. Just as long as they're making the choice themselves, of course.

Her Majesty, of course, can do whatever she damn well wants

So, as we prepare to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, does the group objecting to wearing a red poppy have a point? To make it clear, this isn't a post about how we should shun the Royal British Legion; rather, both sides need to be heard, even though it seems (or is argued to be) disgraceful to consider forgoing pinning a poppy onto yourself. Yet the poppy is a symbol, and they are always up to interpretation. Take the American flag, for example. For some, it symbolises the flag of a nation that has a rich history of standing up to oppression and defending the liberty of citizens, both within and outside of its borders. Yet there are those that view it as an emblem of violence and conflict, and that America's place in the world was built on the backs of manipulating those seen as inferior. The kneeling protests that rocked the NFL last season brought much criticism, yet they occurred as they had the freedom to do so. We should be thankful that we have (more or less) the freedom to stand up for our morals.

Sorry Mr President, they're just making their voices heard without shouting

But enough of the stars and stripes, let's get back to plastic poppies. First of all, nobody should be condemned for either wearing or renouncing poppies. Everyone has their reasons, and nobody should be classed as a lover of warfare or an un-patriotic scumbag just because, for a few weeks in November, you choose to wear a poppy or not. All that matters is that people commemorate those that gave their lives for their country. Even though the conflicts in Ireland and the Middle East are sensitive subjects for some, no fallen soul should be forgotten. The justification for war may seem shaky, but people still died. We all have to show a little bit of compassion.

But there is some truth behind the argument that the poppy is forced upon us. When we were growing up, we were 'gently encouraged' to give over some of our pocket money and have a poppy pinned to our school jumpers. Once we had figured out the best way to pin them on without stabbing ourselves at the same time, did anyone stop to question why we were doing it? Of course, as kids you never deal with the gripping moral question over a just war and the politics of symbolism; we just went along with it. It was the same with hymns at school. We all loved screaming 'SHINE JESUS SHINE!' at the top of our voices, but nobody really asked why we were doing it. It was just part of schooling life; another part of the dreaded school assembly.

Got some good sleep in the Churcher's College lecture theatre 

In a way, it's herd mentality. We see everyone else wearing one so we hop on board the bandwagon just to feel part of the crowd. The 'poppy fascism' that Jon Snow talked about is very much a thing. That fear of being cast out and shamed for not choosing to wear a plastic flower is a real possibility, yet that just strengthens the argument of the poppy losing its true meaning. In times of remembrance, people must come together and show their respect to the sacrifices of our predecessors. Yes, it is common knowledge that every person has a mild dislike of every other person (don't deny it, you know it's true), but there has to come a time when we can agree on something. Surely respecting the memories of lives lost in warfare should be one of them?

The Menin Gate at Ypres- stunning 

The poppy should never be a political symbol. It cannot be used as a means of promoting warfare. These simple tools of remembrance should be used to advocate peace, and remind those that needless conflicts need to stop. We may feel a surge of pride and patriotism when we display a poppy upon our chest, but that shouldn't be because we won. As Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in a letter to President Harry Truman in 1948, 'no one won the last war, and no one will win the next war'. It's a simple and powerful quote, one that speaks so much truth. At the end of the day, all that matters is that the lives lost during times of war are remembered and honoured. To make sure their deaths weren't for nothing, peace must prevail.

It seems like a good place to end this ramble, but hopefully the message is clear. No one should be forced to wear a poppy, yet those that sport one have no right to punish the abstainers. We are all different, driven by a wide range of moral values. If you choose to wear a poppy as you want to support a charity that helps veterans, then good for you! If you feel guilty about the actions of the British armed forces over the last few decades and decide not to have one, then nothing should stop you! Just bow your heads for 2 minutes of silence on Sunday 11 November 2018 and take a moment to commemorate those that lay dead on blood-soaked fields amongst blood-coloured poppies.

Ben G 😁 xo