White Poppy Wreath Laid On Luton War Memorial

LUTON FOR PEACE | 09.11.2009 21:50 | Anti-militarism

We succeeded in laying a white wreath on the Luton War Memorial on Sunday 8th November.

WHITE POPPY PEACE WREATH

Yesterday, Sunday 8th Nov’ 2009, at the Luton War Memorial, our group of pacifists took part in the Luton Remembrance Service outside the Town Hall, alongside the representatives of the armed forces and local dignitaries.

After taking part in the Luton Mayor’s procession, Debby Wakeham and Marc Scheimann laid the White Poppy Wreath (as below) as our mark of respect for all the fallen on all sides of wars this country has been involved in.

We believe in respecting the loss of people from all communities, so before the Service began, the Luton for Peace contingent spoke to Luton’s Mayor, Mohammed Riaz, when we suggested that the service should include representatives from Commonwealth countries, 1.3million of whom lost their lives during the World Wars helping the British to win the war. He said it was something we needed to look into.

GET YER WHITE POPPIES HERE!

For anyone who wants white now or for next year contact Luton For Peace or the Peace Pledge Union.

Luton For Peace details 07810 025818
PPU details Tel 020 7424 9444 email

info@ppu.org.uk website www.ppu.org.uk.

LUTON FOR PEACE
e-mail: peter.wakeham@hotmail.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 18 comments

Wear your red poppy with pride.

09.11.2009 22:55

I really don't think that Adolf Hitler would have piad much attention to the pacifists in 1939-1945

Wear your Red Poppy with pride and remember the brave British Tommies that made the ultimate sacrifice in order that we have the freedoms that we have today, including the freedom to post stories on Indymedia without being sent to a camp.

Be proud of our British history and remember those that died for us.

Respect.

British

et al

09.11.2009 23:41

...and, more importantly, all the supremely brave activists over the centuries who've really fought for our democratic rights because of their personal and deeply held beliefs rather than coercion . Most were considered enemies of the state at the time and treated as such...

Tom

Remembering the other side

09.11.2009 23:53

Well I'm glad to see someone is remembering the the Nazis, communists, Al Qaida and Taliban too on remembrance day.

Red poppies?

10.11.2009 00:13

And fondly rember those that took part in the various massacres and crimes against humanity that have been commited by the british. No thanks, shove your poppy up ya arse.

GUILTY

10.11.2009 17:25

Red poppies?

10.11.2009 00:13
And fondly rember those that took part in the various massacres and crimes against humanity that have been commited by the british. No thanks, shove your poppy up ya arse.

Me

feeling guilty are we? Who cares about white middle class liberals on a guilt trip like you lot not wearing a fre poppy? Hardly anyone, thats why hundreds of thousands of people within the UK wear a red poppy. How many wear a white one? a few hundred, if that. Your movement and people like you are dying out, so give it a rest as no one is listening.

jack

jack & Ed - trolls not in disguise

10.11.2009 17:32

as elsewhere on Indymedia, you troll just to provoke and stir shit. How constructive is that. Haven't you got something better to do.

get off your computers

To the trolls

10.11.2009 19:58

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

Herman Goering

Really

10.11.2009 21:33

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag....

So give them the remembrance they deserve.

Oh and by the way, if you lot on here think your way is the best way then why is there not millions of Britons following you? I know why, because they know it's bullshit and can see right through it. You go on about the working class and yet when i see your ilk you all seem to be far from working class. I'm a working class builder and most people i know are the same, and NONE of them would follow your pathetic ideas/ideoligy. You're on the margins of society and that's where you'll remain. Unless you move to communist china where you will be welcome with open arms, in a closed off state.

Now go on call me a 'troll' that's what you do when people try to debate your out of date politics, or call me racist.

The doctrine of the left:

Losing the debate? Shout racist and silence the opposition, which ends the argument, allowing you to claim victory.

There's a big poster of that on the site i'm on at the moment, makes everyone chuckle as it's so true.

the cry of "racism" is the last refuge of a lost argument.

Oh and for all you weirdos who believe in the cult/religion of global warming have a look at this site

http://www.globalwarminghoax.com

The real working class have more important things to worry about like jobs, immigration, and countless other real issue.

I'll leave you weirdos to it, don't be having wet dreams now about the former soviet union. FORMER, as communism/socialism/liberal totalitarianism didn't work.

????????

White Poppies are Not in Competition with Red Ones

10.11.2009 22:07

The views of Luton For Peace are based on non-violence and reconciliation and NOT on any kind of politics. We respect the dead soldiers of Great Britain and we care about our troops in Afghanistan to the point where we say they should be brought home now to stop any more senseless losses.

We are working towards helping to bring about an end to all wars. Surely all the contributors to this piece would want all war to end?

We laid the white poppy wreath alongside he red wreaths, the British Legion has no problem about the white wreath at all. We are not communists - I hate communism, I am glad the Soviet system fell and I have opposed the Chinese government on many occasions for their appalling human rights record.

My late father fought in the Second World War and he approved of the white poppy. Many ex-service men are treated very badly by our society - I'd like to see more support given by the British Government to injured soldiers instead of making more weapons for more killing.

For the record, white poppies are meant to help people remember all the dead caused by war
and that includes the millions of civilians who probably did not want to be involved in war in the first place. There are mnay people who wear both red and white poppies.

It is the soldier, not the politician, who can stop wars by refusing to kill.

Luton For Peace

Luton

10.11.2009 22:26

Luton for peace i understand what you're saying and of course i want to see the end to all wars, but it's a sad fact that since the dawn of time there has always been human conflict. And as Natural Resources decline it's only going to get worse, therefore you need a standing army.

People go on about Britains imperial past but forgetting that every nation was at it, not just ours. We were just better at it.

And your little bit at the end about a soldier refusing to go to war is just silly, i was in the army and 99.9% of the soldiers there would never dream of disobaying a order. It's a volunteer army, people want to join. You're not forced, it's the politicians who start wars and it's the soldiers fight them.

Jack

priorities?

11.11.2009 23:50

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag"

It is the reporter not the soldier who dies for feedom of the press. Daily...

It is the poet not the soldier who dies for freedom of speech. Elegantly...

It is the organiser not the soldier who dies for freedom to demonstrate. Collectively...

It is the judge not the soldier who dies for the right to a fair trial. Judiciously...

It is the soldier who dies for the flag.

warspite

Really

12.11.2009 00:23

It is the reporter not the soldier who dies for a.................. story

It is the poet not the soldier who dies for.........................a pencil

It is the organiser not the soldier who dies for freedom to.......use a mega phone

It is the judge not the soldier who dies for the right to..................wear a wig

It is the soldier who dies for the flag.....................yes and it will never be red.

Yes because poets, judges, organisers and reporters are all real Heros who have done wonders for this nation in recent times, thats why we have a rem day for all of them every year. Oh hang on no we don't.

jack

To Jack

12.11.2009 17:52

So the Soldier dies and kills for a flag?? What an idiot the soldier is then.

Union Jack-Ass

yes

12.11.2009 23:01

So the Soldier dies and kills for a flag??

Yes, and it's the reason you're allowed to speak your outdated drivle. This nation is free due to the British soldier.

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George orwell

jack

Soldiers with a brain...

13.11.2009 13:15

The irony of jack calling anyones views outdated, when he spouts such shit.

If it weren't for the soldier, there would be nobody to defend against.

The soldier may not be the root of the problem, but ze is certainly the visible symptom of it, and has the ability to prevent the problem achieving anything.

Joe Glenton

You idiot

13.11.2009 13:22

How in any way have any wars (in the history of mankind) ad specifically in the past half century had anything to do with protecting my right to free speech. The soldier is there to follow orders and nothing more. The orders (in advanced imperialist nations such as the UK) almost always involve invasion, occupation and murder for the interests of an oligarchy of companies. Now the tight controls implemented by these soldiers in the various countries they are in, allows the people there the exact opposite of the freedoms you claim they protect.

Excuse the pun but you seem to know Jack-Shit

Union Jack-Ass

really

13.11.2009 14:44

1st Gulf war
Bosnia
Kosovo
Sierra-leon

If it wasn't for the British and other nations soldiers then the above nations would be in turmoil and many more people would of died than did. I've met people from the last 3 in the list straight after we stopped the violence that was happening there and i can tell you, men, women, and children on their knees crying thanking you for helping them is one of the most humbling things any person can experience. You can tell them to get off their knees, it's all over and they and their familys can live their lives as free human beings again. Talking to some of them and hearing what you helped stop happening makes you proud to be a British soldier.

Do i agree with with whats happening now? No, but if i was still in i would do my service with pride. And whether you like it or not a lot of afghans are happy we're there, little girls being able to go to school etc can't be a bad thing.

You can live in your fantasy world where there is no army/soldiers but it's never going to happen, when has there ever been a time in history where there hasn't been military violence or even human violence?

So get away from fantasy and get into reality, the human race is a violent race. Always has been and always will be, whether you and i like it all not. And you need armies to help protect that freedom, for all peoples.

This is the last time i'm going to reply on here because i think most of you are beyond help, i'll leave you to living on the edge of society, outside reason, inside fantasy and away from reality.

jack

Futile

13.11.2009 16:49

Though i can see the futility of continuing with this let me just say that the wars just mentioned have been highly profitable to the UK (maybe not in terms of soldiers lives but definately in economic terms. Just have a look at the businesses that have propped up in the area. As for Sierra Leone i wouldn't touch that issue as there is a long history of British troops inflicting immense pain and suffering to the local population. As for the Afghani locals, I think even the most ardent war supporter would not state that the local population supports the occupation. Some few will, as some few supported Soviet invasion in the 80's, and some British welcomed a German invasion in the 40's. That will never justify invasion, occupation, and the subsequent thievery of a people's right to autonomy.

Union Jack-Ass