Madam, – Your correspondents who have sought a peace symbol poppy, or referred to white poppies in the 1930s, can be advised that white poppies are readily available in Britain (produced by the Peace Pledge Union) but alas, there is no current distributor in Ireland.
Each year we distribute information on the availability of the white poppy as a symbol of remembrance of all those who have died in war, and as a symbol of a commitment to work against war and its causes.
People wear red poppies for many different reasons, some simply celebrating the defeat of fascism in the second World War. However, and particularly in the UK context including the North, there is a way in which the red poppy, and Remembrance Day, are co-opted as support for whatever wars Britain may be fighting at the time, eg Afghanistan currently. This kind of co-option is not acceptable to those who wish to build peace by nonviolent means. It is also barely credible that BBC Northern Ireland presenters are obliged to wear red poppies at this time of year if they want to work. – Yours, etc,