Uni defends its use of white poppies to honour war dead
‘COMMITMENT TO PEACE’ – BUT SOME SEE THE SYMBOL AS AN INSULT TO THE FALLEN
LEICESTER University has defended a decision to include white poppies in wreaths laid at a former Great War miltary hospital.
Staff and students laid 50 Remembrance wreaths, including both red and white poppies, as part of its Poppy Pilgrimage.
Among the stages on the “pilgrimage” through the city and county was the university’s main administrative building, the Fielding Johnson Building.
Originally built as a mental hospital, it served as a military hospital during the First World War.
White poppies are controversial, with some critics deriding them as a left-wing symbol and an insult to the ultimate sacrifice made by the war dead.
But the university said the inclusion of white poppies was to represent “a commitment to peace and in finding non-violent solutions to conflicts,” the Daily Mail reports.
A university spokesman said: “The red poppy, which recalls the horrors of the Western Front in the First World War, is a well-known and well-established symbol of support for the armed forces community and remembrance for lives lost in all conflicts.
“Some of the wreaths laid in the region included white poppies, which represent a commitment to peace and in finding non-violent solutions to conflicts.”
Among the critics of the white poppy gesture is Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British Forces in Afghanistan, who told the Sunday Telegraph: “The white poppy is intended to undermine the sacrifice the red poppy seeks to commemorate.
“Use of the red poppy is a means of showing respect and gratitude to British and Allied troops who gave their lives fighting for their country and is entirely apolitical. The white poppy is a political symbol used by anti-war campaigners.
“It is sold only to raise funds for their propaganda campaigns. It purports to commemorate all who suffered in war and so applies equally to Nazi stormtroopers and Islamic State murderers and rapists.
“Intertwining the hard Left political symbol of white poppies into wreaths of red poppies is a direct insult to our war dead.”
Lord Richard Dannatt, former chief of the General Staff, told the newspaper there was room to recognise the sacrifice of civilians in wartime but that use of the white poppy would detract from the remembrance of soldiers that had died in defence of their country.
According to the Peace Pledge Union, white poppies stand for remembrance for all victims of war, both military and civilian, of all nationalities, as well as a commitment to peace and a challenge to any attempt to glamorise war.
Kerry Law, chief marketing and engagement officer at the University of Leicester, said: “Our Poppy Pilgrimage serves as a fitting tribute to the founding legacy of our university, and has allowed us to once again recognise the sacrifices made in our region.
“At the laying of each wreath, members of our community have repeated the words of University founder Dr Astley Clarke, ‘Let us, therefore, offer Higher Education as our war memorial.’”
In 2020, the university was awarded Gold Award status by the Ministry of Defence for its support of the armed forces community, which includes partnerships with local reserve units and permanent membership of the East Midlands Universities Combined Military Education Committee.
The university is also committed to supporting former service personnel in their transition to civilian life through schemes such as Armed Forces Into Allied Health, which simplifies the process for veterans to transfer military qualifications in order to enter health disciplines.
Among critics of the white poppy is Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of the British Forces in Afghanistan