MORE white poppies are being worn by young people across the UK than ever before, in part due to efforts to show solidarity with Gaza, according to the group which distributes them.
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) said that orders for white poppies had doubled since the same point in 2021 – and was up by one-third compared to 2023.
The white poppy dates back to 1933 and has traditionally been worn as a way of both commemorating the lives to lost to war and sending the message that it should never happen again.
The PPU said that the ongoing siege of Gaza has been cited by teachers as one reason for young people increasingly turning to the white poppy “as more of their students recognise the importance of remembering all victims of war, including civilians and those affected by conflict today”.
The PPU said it had seen a “spike in demand for white poppies” since Israel launched its military assault on Gaza on October 9, 2023 – two days after Hamas attacked Israel.
The pacifist group added that it had heard anecdotally that an increasing number of Muslim school students, among others, have shown interest in white poppies due to the crisis in the Middle East.
One teacher who contacted the PPU said: "As a school which values peace as one of its core values it is important that we live that value in our daily lives. The wearing of a white poppy symbolises a commitment to peace and acts as a reminder for all of us to do our duty in averting not only war, but to challenge the instruments of war which are so prevalent in our world today.”
A university student from London further told the PPU: "I really like the concept of the white poppies.
“Although the red poppies stand for something remarkable, the white help to be inclusive to all victims of war, from the soldiers to people who had to witness it. Especially with what's going on in the Middle East, it's nice to know that the victims are being represented."
“On Remembrance Day, we must remember all those affected by this, as well as those who have died in the past, and make an active commitment to peace.
“It is heartening that a growing number of young people are turning to the white poppy, for the light it sheds on today's conflicts. Many are alienated by the mainstream tradition of Remembrance Day, as it fails to acknowledge civilians and people of other nationalities affected by wars today."
Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, say health officials inside Gaza, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
They say more than half of the dead are women and children.
Israel began bombarding Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, when the militants killed roughly 1200 people and took some 250 hostages back to Gaza. Israeli leaders have since been accused of war crimes, including the use of starvation as a weapon.
