Red or White Poppies?

by Salvation Army
Categories: Blog
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A peace organization in Prince Edward Island is selling white poppies for Remembrance Day and the Royal Canadian Legion is upset.

Peace activists claim the Remembrance Day poppies sold by veterans represents the nostalgia and romanticizing of war while veterans argue the white poppies tarnish the symbolic value of the red poppy.

The red poppy was adopted in Canada in 1921. Since then, the poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance, our visual pledge to never forget all those Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations.

White poppy promoters believe all war is wrong and the poppy for them is a symbol of peace, non-violence and remembrance of civilians who have died in the line of fire. They believe there are better ways to resolve conflict than to kill strangers. Is wearing a white poppy an act of disrespect?

Does the white poppy reflect more accurately what Remembrance Day should be about?