Author: Laurel L. Russwurm

The white poppy is a flower used as a symbol of pacifism, worn either in place of or sometimes in addition to the red remembrance poppy for Remembrance Day or Anzac 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] 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.^[2] However, they did not pursue the idea.^[1] The first white poppies were sold by the Co-operative Women’s Guild in 1933^[3]. The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) 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][4]. Anti-war organisations such as the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship now support the White Poppy Movement.

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 unionist but boycotted by Irish republicans.^[5]

In 2018, St John Ambulance allowed its volunteers to wear the pacifist white poppy for the first time.^[6]

Sales of white poppies steadily rose throughout the 2010s, often causing supporters of the PPU to become targets of abuse. On Thursday 1st November In 2018 Sales of white poppies were higher than in any previous year since white poppies were founded in 1933. As of 7th November 2018, 119,555 white poppies had been sold. The previous record was 110,000 white poppies in 2015. Last year, the figure was 101,000. Until 2014, the record was around 80,000 in 1938.^[7][8]

Those who endorse the white poppy campaign involve actor Mark Rylance,^[9] Poet Benjamin Zephaniah^[10] and rapper Lowkey.^[11]

Children’s author Michael Morpurgo his decision to wear a white poppy alongside his red one in a Radio Times article: “Wearing the red poppy for me is not simply a ritual, not worn as a politically correct nod towards public expectation. It is in honour of them, in respect and in gratitude for all they did for us. But I wear a white poppy alongside my red one, because I know they fought and so many died for my peace, our peace. And I wear both side by side because I believe the nature of remembrance is changing, and will change, as the decades pass since those two world wars.” ^[12]

New Zealand

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.^[13] The appeal was controversial for some, with Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins claiming the white poppy appeal was “incredibly disrespectful to those who served their country”.^[14]

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.^[13]

Controversy

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”.^[15] However, opponents^[16] 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. ^[17] In the 1930s, when the white poppy was first established, some women lost their jobs for wearing them.^[18] 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.^[19]

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.”^[20] 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.^[21] In response, the White Poppy campaign received much media coverage in Britain.^[20] The Daily Star ran several articles criticising the White Poppy campaign.^[20] In The Guardian, artist Steve Bell published a cartoon satirizing Thatcher’s opposition to White Poppies, which he allowed the Peace Pledge Union to republish.^[20]

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.^[22]

Wikipedia