Toronto -- Bruna Nota often gets stopped because of the two poppies on her lapel.
It is not the traditional red poppy that people are curious about. It is the one beside it -- her homemade white poppy that she has worn for over a decade of remembrance days -- that attracts the most attention.
“The White poppy is totally against war, commemorating the civilian losses. Not just the people killed in combat” says Nota, a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.It is not the traditional red poppy that people are curious about. It is the one beside it -- her homemade white poppy that she has worn for over a decade of remembrance days -- that attracts the most attention.
The idea started in 1933, when the Co-operative Women's Guild of England produced the first white poppies to be worn on British Armistice Day. WILPF, now a 40,000 member international organization, continues to champion the ideals behind the white poppy.
“The red poppy has become a glorification of war. It is the great valour that has been displayed by the veterans. But all of the rest has been totally subsumed” says Nota “all the genius spent on war making could have been spent on making global peace. But those energies are siphoned off in making weapons”.
WILPF does not have the resources to mass produce white poppies. Rather, Nota hands out leaflets wherever she can, encouraging a grassroots effort for people to make and wear their own poppies for peace.
She admits that veterans she has encountered have sometimes felt offended or slighted by the unfamiliar flower on her chest. She may not agree with them, but she is firm in her respect for their sacrifice.
“We don’t mean to supplant or minimize the honour that is due to the veterans. They are mistaken, but that doesn’t take away any of their value. I certainly – and many of us – suggest that we wear both [poppies]”
Indeed, the white poppy has recently found support with some veterans, including the Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, a Canadian organization focused on peace and disarmament.
Nota observes that the popularity of the white poppy seems to be growing.
“People from other countries ask me about [her poppy] more” says Nota. “People are here because their land was in such a state of turmoil that they had to get out. I think there is more awareness that we need to do something else. To find alternative options to war”.
“The red poppy has become a glorification of war. It is the great valour that has been displayed by the veterans. But all of the rest has been totally subsumed” says Nota “all the genius spent on war making could have been spent on making global peace. But those energies are siphoned off in making weapons”.
WILPF does not have the resources to mass produce white poppies. Rather, Nota hands out leaflets wherever she can, encouraging a grassroots effort for people to make and wear their own poppies for peace.
She admits that veterans she has encountered have sometimes felt offended or slighted by the unfamiliar flower on her chest. She may not agree with them, but she is firm in her respect for their sacrifice.
“We don’t mean to supplant or minimize the honour that is due to the veterans. They are mistaken, but that doesn’t take away any of their value. I certainly – and many of us – suggest that we wear both [poppies]”
Indeed, the white poppy has recently found support with some veterans, including the Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, a Canadian organization focused on peace and disarmament.
Nota observes that the popularity of the white poppy seems to be growing.
“People from other countries ask me about [her poppy] more” says Nota. “People are here because their land was in such a state of turmoil that they had to get out. I think there is more awareness that we need to do something else. To find alternative options to war”.
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