Remembrance Poppy - Protests and Controversy

Protests and Controversy

At a Celtic v Aberdeen football match in November 2010, it was decided that both teams would play with poppies sewn to their shirts. This was in response to an appeal by Haig Fund Scotland. A group of Celtic supporters called the Green Brigade unfurled a large banner in protest. In a statement, it said: "Our group and many within the Celtic support do not recognise the British Armed Forces as heroes, nor their role in many conflicts as one worthy of our remembrance". It gave Operation Banner (Northern Ireland), the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War as examples.

In November 2011, the English Football Association (FA) proposed that the England football team should wear poppies on their shirts in a match against Spain. However, FIFA turned-down the proposal, claiming it would "open the door to similar initiatives" across the world, "jeopardising the neutrality of football". FIFA's decision was attacked by Prince William and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he would back any player who ignored the ban. Members of the English Defence League (EDL) held a protest on the roof of FIFA's headquarters in Zurich. Instead, the FA came up with other ways to mark Remembrance Day; for example, the England players would wear poppies before kickoff and black armbands during the match, there would be a minute's silence, a poppy wreath would be set on the pitch during the national anthems, poppies would be sold in the stadium and would be shown on the scoreboards and advertising boards. FIFA subsequently allowed the English, Scottish and Welsh teams to wear poppies on black armbands.

British Prime Minister David Cameron rejected a request from Chinese officials to remove his poppy during his visit to Beijing on Remembrance Day 2010. The poppy was deemed offensive because of its associations with the Anglo-Chinese Opium Wars in the 19th century, after which the Qing Dynasty was forced to tolerate the British opium trade in China and to cede Hong Kong to the UK.

A 2010 Remembrance Day ceremony in London was disrupted by members of Muslims Against Crusades, who were protesting against British Army actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. They burnt large poppies and chanted "British soldiers burn in hell" during the two-minute silence. Two of the men were arrested and charged for threatening behavior. One was convicted and made to pay a £50 fine. The same group planned to hold another protest in 2011 named Hell for Heroes, declaring that soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve to go to hell. The group was banned by the Home Secretary the day before the planned protest.

In November 2011 a number of people were arrested in Coleraine, Northern Ireland after a picture of two youths burning a poppy was posted on Facebook. The picture was reported to the police by a member of the RBL.

Well-known war-time journalist Robert Fisk published in November 2011 a personalized account about the shifting nature of wearing a poppy titled "Do those who flaunt the poppy on their lapels know that they mock the war dead?". "World Observer Online" published a similar story, written by "Assed Baig", in November 2012 titled "Why I Choose Not To Wear a Poppy".

In 2011 it was revealed that Kleshna, one of two businesses selling its own poppies on the RBL website, gives only 10% of its sales to charity. Kleshna sells crystal-clad poppy jewelry and its products have been worn by celebrities on television.