Memory and protest

Peace Action Wellington this year attended the citizens wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph, to lay a wreath for civilians killed in Operation Burnham, allegedly by the NZ SAS, and commemorate all civilian lives lost during war.

Our presence was not a protest against the event; rather, we participated respectfully in the ceremony, and encouraged others to remember that it’s not just soldiers who die in conflict.

The responses we received from those at the ceremony were largely though not exclusively - positive.

We’d like to thank the organisers of the event for allowing us to participate.

All loss of life in war is abhorrent. Selective commemoration alters our view of history, and whose lives we deem to be important.

We note that there is currently no public holiday to commemorate those killed during the New Zealand Land Wars.

Anzac day was originally a day of remembrance by veterans of World War I, to remember their comrades who were killed and the senselessness of war.

Given the anti-war stance implicit in its roots, it seems entirely appropriate to commemorate war dead more broadly and to say ‘‘never again’’ – especially given that NZ is still involved in foreign conflicts today. ELLIE CLAYTON on behalf of Peace Action Wellington