The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) recently reported an almost 30% increase in orders of white poppy education packs compared to last year.
The group, who distribute white poppies, are a pacifist campaigning organisation founded in 1934.
Geoff Tibbs, the PPU Remembrance Project Manager, believes the increase in demand for white poppies among UK schools and universities is “directly attributable to the war going on in the Middle East.”
Last year, the PPU saw an ‘unprecedented number’ of white poppy orders following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 7th October 2023.
Mr Tibbs explains that the PPU are seeing a similar trend this year, with a special interest from students. He says that schools and universities feel the “message of the white poppy makes a lot of sense” given the “human rights abuses and war crimes” occurring in Gaza and Lebanon.
Graph: Harriet Watts. Source: Peace Pledge Union. Created with: Excel.
Sales peaked at 122,385 in 2018 but dramatically decreased during the Covid pandemic. They reached 90,000 sales in 2023 and are expected to exceed this figure this year if they follow the trajectory of a 30% increase. The PPU is noticing an annual increase in white poppy education packs.
What does the white poppy symbolise?
The white poppy honours all victims of war, including civilians. It also stands for a commitment to peace, challenging war and militarism. The Co-operative Women’s Guild introduced the pin in 1933 to stress the “never again” message following World War One.
The Peace Pledge Union is Britain’s oldest secular pacifist organisation. The group says that it emerged out of a campaign established by pacifist Dick Sheppard. Source: Peace Pledge Union.
How does the white poppy differ to the red poppy?
The red poppy shows support for British and allied Armed forces, while the white poppy commemorates all victims of war across nationalities. Both poppies, however, symbolise remembrance and hope for peace
The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal distributes 40 million red poppies annually, with donations going towards the Armed forces community. White poppy sales are approximately four hundred times smaller, with UK profits going towards the PPU’s campaign efforts.
Asking London students’ opinions
The Wandsworth Quakers are one of London’s white poppy outlets and have been distributing Remembrance pins for decades. Kate Bone, a member of the Wandsworth meeting, has noticed an increase in sales this year when selling to non-Quakers.
According to Geoff Tibbs, there are “many many university students in London who wear white poppies.” City News spoke to London students to find out their opinion on white poppies.
Law students Farziba Majidiy and Sahra Bashir appreciate the white poppy’s current popularity.
Ms Majidiy says that “the main issue is focusing on the conflict in Gaza right now.” Miss Bashir adds that the white poppy does not erase the losses of World War One and World War Two, but draws “attention to something that is ongoing where people can do something about it.”
“It’s important to remember the losses from the past but it’s not a priority right now.”
Farziba Majidiy, LLB law student in London
A national demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza took place on Sunday 2nd November in London. The PPU say they had approximately twenty volunteers handing out white poppies to demonstrators. (AP/Alberto Pezzali).
Accounting and Finance student, Tia Bhudia, helped to raise £12,000 at Stratford station last Thursday by volunteering to hand out red poppies for the Royal British Legion.
While Ms Bhudia has empathy for people in the Middle East, she feels that Remembrance Day should focus on the people that fought in World War One and World War Two.
Red poppies, she says, have always been associated with the 11th November. Ms Bhudia, therefore, is “not sure why there is another colour [poppy] for Remembrance Day.”
White poppies spark controversy
Ex-British Army Lord Dannatt told GB News last week, “if teachers are promoting that sort of woke culture that is pushing a white poppy, pushing peace as preference to war, that’s very dangerous.”
Other critics feel that it detracts from the Poppy Appeal because less donations go towards supporting members of the Armed forces.
The Royal British Legion adopted the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance in 1921. The white poppy was first produced twelve years later. (AP/Matt Dunham).
Claude Komen is a commercial graduate whose mother works in the armed forces. Despite wearing the red poppy himself, Mr Komen does not believe white poppies should cause controversy.
“They [white poppies] still stand for remembrance of everyone that has died in past and in current wars, and they’re very much in support of remembering their sacrifices. But they’re also in support of trying to create a better future for everyone, so I feel that’s not too far off what remembrance is about in the first place.”
Claude Komen, commercial graduate in London
Mr Komen says that buying a white poppy “shouldn’t hinder someone from then donating to the red poppy cause.” Armed forces charities, he adds, “are open and willing to take donations all year round”, so contributions should not be limited to poppies alone.
City News has reached out to The British Royal Legion, who has not responded. Earlier this month, the charity told The Telegraph that it “defends the right to wear different poppies.”
Upcoming Remembrance Services
The National Service of Remembrance takes place at the Cenotaph on Sunday 10th November. It will begin at 11:00 GMT, commemorating British and Commonwealth servicemen and women.
The National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony will occur on Sunday 10th November at 12:00 GMT. White poppy wreaths will be laid to commemorate all victims of war. Talks on the wars in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan will also take place.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineWhite poppies surge in popularity among students this Remembrance period
Short HeadlineWhite poppies surge in popularity among students
StandfirstMore London universities and schools are wearing white poppies this year to commemorate victims of the Middle East conflict.
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) recently reported an almost 30% increase in orders of white poppy education packs compared to last year.
The group, who distribute white poppies, are a pacifist campaigning organisation founded in 1934.
Geoff Tibbs, the PPU Remembrance Project Manager, believes the increase in demand for white poppies among UK schools and universities is “directly attributable to the war going on in the Middle East.”
Last year, the PPU saw an ‘unprecedented number’ of white poppy orders following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 7th October 2023.
Mr Tibbs explains that the PPU are seeing a similar trend this year, with a special interest from students. He says that schools and universities feel the “message of the white poppy makes a lot of sense” given the “human rights abuses and war crimes” occurring in Gaza and Lebanon.
Graph: Harriet Watts. Source: Peace Pledge Union. Created with: Excel.
Sales peaked at 122,385 in 2018 but dramatically decreased during the Covid pandemic. They reached 90,000 sales in 2023 and are expected to exceed this figure this year if they follow the trajectory of a 30% increase. The PPU is noticing an annual increase in white poppy education packs.
What does the white poppy symbolise?
The white poppy honours all victims of war, including civilians. It also stands for a commitment to peace, challenging war and militarism. The Co-operative Women’s Guild introduced the pin in 1933 to stress the “never again” message following World War One.
The Peace Pledge Union is Britain’s oldest secular pacifist organisation. The group says that it emerged out of a campaign established by pacifist Dick Sheppard. Source: Peace Pledge Union.
How does the white poppy differ to the red poppy?
The red poppy shows support for British and allied Armed forces, while the white poppy commemorates all victims of war across nationalities. Both poppies, however, symbolise remembrance and hope for peace
The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal distributes 40 million red poppies annually, with donations going towards the Armed forces community. White poppy sales are approximately four hundred times smaller, with UK profits going towards the PPU’s campaign efforts.
Asking London students’ opinions
The Wandsworth Quakers are one of London’s white poppy outlets and have been distributing Remembrance pins for decades. Kate Bone, a member of the Wandsworth meeting, has noticed an increase in sales this year when selling to non-Quakers.
According to Geoff Tibbs, there are “many many university students in London who wear white poppies.” City News spoke to London students to find out their opinion on white poppies.
Law students Farziba Majidiy and Sahra Bashir appreciate the white poppy’s current popularity.
Ms Majidiy says that “the main issue is focusing on the conflict in Gaza right now.” Miss Bashir adds that the white poppy does not erase the losses of World War One and World War Two, but draws “attention to something that is ongoing where people can do something about it.”
“It’s important to remember the losses from the past but it’s not a priority right now.”
Farziba Majidiy, LLB law student in London
A national demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza took place on Sunday 2nd November in London. The PPU say they had approximately twenty volunteers handing out white poppies to demonstrators. (AP/Alberto Pezzali).
Accounting and Finance student, Tia Bhudia, helped to raise £12,000 at Stratford station last Thursday by volunteering to hand out red poppies for the Royal British Legion.
While Ms Bhudia has empathy for people in the Middle East, she feels that Remembrance Day should focus on the people that fought in World War One and World War Two.
Red poppies, she says, have always been associated with the 11th November. Ms Bhudia, therefore, is “not sure why there is another colour [poppy] for Remembrance Day.”
White poppies spark controversy
Ex-British Army Lord Dannatt told GB News last week, “if teachers are promoting that sort of woke culture that is pushing a white poppy, pushing peace as preference to war, that’s very dangerous.”
Other critics feel that it detracts from the Poppy Appeal because less donations go towards supporting members of the Armed forces.
The Royal British Legion adopted the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance in 1921. The white poppy was first produced twelve years later. (AP/Matt Dunham).
Claude Komen is a commercial graduate whose mother works in the armed forces. Despite wearing the red poppy himself, Mr Komen does not believe white poppies should cause controversy.
“They [white poppies] still stand for remembrance of everyone that has died in past and in current wars, and they’re very much in support of remembering their sacrifices. But they’re also in support of trying to create a better future for everyone, so I feel that’s not too far off what remembrance is about in the first place.”
Claude Komen, commercial graduate in London
Mr Komen says that buying a white poppy “shouldn’t hinder someone from then donating to the red poppy cause.” Armed forces charities, he adds, “are open and willing to take donations all year round”, so contributions should not be limited to poppies alone.
City News has reached out to The British Royal Legion, who has not responded. Earlier this month, the charity told The Telegraph that it “defends the right to wear different poppies.”
Upcoming Remembrance Services
The National Service of Remembrance takes place at the Cenotaph on Sunday 10th November. It will begin at 11:00 GMT, commemorating British and Commonwealth servicemen and women.
The National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony will occur on Sunday 10th November at 12:00 GMT. White poppy wreaths will be laid to commemorate all victims of war. Talks on the wars in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan will also take place.
The first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials since the breakdown of talks in 2022 have begun in Istanbul, as both sides revisit unresolved demands amid continued fighting on the ground
A devastating fire at Bicester Motion, a historic motoring and aviation centre located on a former RAF base in Oxfordshire, has claimed the lives of two firefighters and a member of the public.
