White poppy wearers are calling for the victims of colonial conflicts to be remembered alongside other victims of war on Remembrance Day – with their voices being amplified by the Peace Pledge Union.
Remembrance Day: focusing on British military victims of war
Mainstream remembrance events traditionally focus on British and allied military victims of war, primarily from the First and Second World Wars, rarely acknowledging colonial conflicts waged during the British Empire.
Peace campaigners are now calling for this to change, pushing for a long-overdue reckoning with Britain’s colonial past.
The UK’s leading pacifist organisation, the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), has launched a new initiative, ‘Decolonising Remembrance’, which aims to ensure that the victims of colonial wars receive proper recognition on Remembrance Day.
The project also aims to challenge the legacies of colonialism today, which continue to influence who is publicly remembered and whose histories and experiences are erased.
The PPU is encouraging those organising events for Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day to draw on the experiences of those affected by colonial wars, both past and present, and to listen to the voices of those who keep their memory alive.
Wearing the white poppy
Many white poppy wearers have already embraced this initiative, recognising the need to actively acknowledge victims of war that are systematically ignored or dehumanised. The white poppy, which has been worn for over ninety years, stands for remembrance of all victims of war, both civilian and military, of all nationalities.
White poppy wearer and Peace Pledge Union (PPU) member Nadja Lovadinov said:
Decolonising Remembrance is about asking ourselves, who do we remember on the eleventh of November, and who have we forgotten? Decolonisation is an active practice that unsettles and refuses to accept the nationalist, military narrative of mainstream remembrance, by platforming the victims of colonial wars.
The call to decolonise remembrance comes in the wake of renewed controversy over the legacies of Empire, after the UK government’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in partial recognition of the UK’s expulsion of the indigenous population in the 1960s and 1970s. The decision was immediately slammed by Conservative politicians, in spite of the fact that the US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia is due to remain.
Since then, Keir Starmer has rejected the possibility of British reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, prompting further homages to the British Empire from Tory politicians, with Robert Jenrick saying former colonies owe the UK a “debt of gratitude”.
The PPU points out that such ongoing attempts to whitewash or glorify colonialism make it all the more urgent that we challenge its legacies and remember the victims of colonial conflicts.
Stop whitewashing colonialism
Geoff Tibbs, the Peace Pledge Union (PPU’s) remembrance project manager, said:
When we still see politicians openly celebrating the British Empire, it is vital that we remember the impacts that colonial wars and violence have had – and continue to have – around the globe.
He added:
We need to make space for the victims of colonial wars on Remembrance Day. This involves listening to the voices of those affected by that history and the ongoing impacts of colonialism, both in the UK and elsewhere. It involves actively challenging the racist legacies of colonialism that continue to influence whose lives are valued and whose are not.
The war in the Middle East has been another factor prompting fresh examination of Britain’s colonial past, as some campaigners pushing for a ceasefire have highlighted Britain’s historical responsibility for the dispossession and oppression of the Palestinians.
The Balfour Declaration of 1917 established British support for the Zionist movement in Palestine, laying the ground for conflict over the territory, whilst British military tactics used against the Palestinian population during the British Mandate were later adopted by the Israeli government.
The PPU, which supports calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, argues that Remembrance Day should be a time for honest and open reflection on the human cost of wars, both past and present, including colonial conflicts.
They point out that even the First and Second World Wars are severely distorted by ignoring their colonial context, as both conflicts had profound impacts throughout the Empires of the imperial powers, with often disastrous human consequences, such as the imposition of racist regimes across North Africa or the Bengal Famine in India.
Decolonising Remembrance Day
In recent years there have been some official attempts to address the inequalities in the way the victims of war are commemorated on Remembrance Day. A landmark inquiry by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission blamed ‘pervasive racism’ for the unequal commemoration of black and Asian war dead.
The Royal British Legion has also made increasing efforts to acknowledge the role of Commonwealth troops. The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) has welcomed these efforts, but urged them to go further by remembering all those affected by colonial conflicts.
Decolonising remembrance is an open-ended project which, the organisers hope, will benefit from the input of groups and individuals with expertise in the history and ongoing impacts of colonialism.
The new webpage on decolonising remembrance includes an open-ended list of resources to help white poppy wearers and others engage with this issue during and after Remembrance Day.
We can give a human face to the hidden victims of war
Hamit Dardagan from Iraq Body Count, which is among the resources included, said:
Colonialism is best characterised as the armed robbery of resources, land and liberty on such a grand scale that it requires the machinery of war and military occupation. Thus its cost is not only economic but includes every imaginable injury and insult to the human body and spirit, every variety of suffering and loss: physical and mental, individual and social, immediate and prolonged.
He added:
While accepting that we cannot erase the harm already done to the dead, their families and friends, we must do all we can to give a human face to the many nameless, hidden, often distant victims of these wars. We must not allow their names and stories to become lost or forgotten, and need to remember that their lives were as valuable as our own. The PPU’s efforts in this cause have our gratitude and full support.
Featured image via the Peace Pledge Union
