White poppy not sitting well with Royal Canadian Legion members

EDMONTON (CP) - Anti-war activists selling white ''peace'' poppies have Edmonton members of the Royal Canadian Legion up in arms.


Harvey Shevalier, president of the legion's Alberta-Northwest Territories Command, said the poppy is a registered symbol of the Legion and can't be used without permission.


''The Legion cannot condone it, and we cannot accept any attempt to use this poppy without authority or approval,'' he said.


The poppies - which have white leaves and the word ''peace'' in the middle - are not just a symbol of opposition to the war, they also pay tribute to the pain of those who have lost someone in war. Rod Stewart, a Legion vice-president, decried the use of the symbol for political purposes. He suggested a more appropriate day for the gesture might be Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace, although he suggested the groups sell olive branches instead of poppies.


But some proponents of the white poppies were shocked at the uproar, and insisted the two symbols can co-exist. Patti Hartnagel of Women in Black, an anti-war group, said there's no reason why people couldn't wear both.


''They are suggesting (that) we are suggesting that these white poppies are an alternative to the traditional red poppy, and that's not we're saying,'' said Hartnagel. ''How can you not respect the sacrifice of the veterans? But also, add a proactive element to that.''


She said her group takes donations in exchange for the poppies to make contributions to charities abroad.


The white poppy was created by the Women's Co-operative Guild in England in 1933.


''The Guild stressed that the white poppy was not intended as an insult to those who died in the First World War - a war in which many of the women lost husbands, brothers, sons and lovers,'' says a website run by an anti-war group, Peace Pledge Union.

*Daily Herald-Tribune

--Wizard's Note: White Poppy - origins

The idea of an alternative poppy dates back to 1926, just a few years after the red poppy came to be used in Britain. A member of the No More War Movement suggested that the British Legion should be asked to imprint 'No More War' in the centre of the red poppies and failing this pacifists should make their own flowers.

In 1933 the Co-operative Women's Guild produced the first white poppies to be worn on Armistice Day (later called Remembrance Day). The Guild stressed that the white poppy was not intended as an insult to those who died in the First World War - a war in which many of the women lost husbands, brothers, sons and lovers. The following year the Peace Pledge Union joined the CWG in the distribution of the poppies and later took over their annual promotion.

The White Poppy symbolises the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts than killing strangers.

I think there is room for both. What do you think? Make a comment!