I am surprised that there has been little comment on this thread with regard to the calls for restraint regarding the potential clash between pro-Palestinian protests and the services of remembrance next Sunday. No one has commented upon Suella Braverman's comments regarding the pro-Palestinian "hate march" and even Gary Lineker's tweets have somewhat failed to identify what the real "issue" is. It is staggering that the two gatherings are being considered as two entities when, in reality, they are one and the same.
I feel that the original issue of the Remembrance Sunday was something that I used to be passionate about but I feel it has increasingly out-served it's purpose. Originally it commemorated the fallen of the two World Wars and, as such, I think merited it's place on the national calender. In 2023, this seems to be less and less the case and most of the "fallen" gave their lives for conflicts such as in Ireland, the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq where the presence of British troops has been far more controversial. I feel that the whole sentiment of Remembrance Sunday is now hijacked by the increasingly hawkish right wing to the extent that is almost seems a celebration of British military prowess whereas the original intention was to reflect upon those who gave up their lives to defend liberty and within a system where conscription meant that many people did not have a say in this matter. Thankfully, society has moved on.
What I do feel strongly about is that Remembrance Sunday should recognise that people are still losing their lives in military conflicts and I feel that it would be far more appropriate not to celebrate British military endeavours but rather reflect upon the consequences for people who have become the victims of military action. In this respect, I feel it is entirely appropriate that people are taking to the streets next Sunday to protest about the genocide being meted out by the Israeli's in Gaza and that this is an entirely appropriate time for British people (many of whom are Muslim) to reflect upon the death and destruction caused by the IDF. I would imagine that many of the British service men who lost their lives in the two world wars would feel ashamed that the government is couching the pro-Palestinian protests in such volitile terms as "marches of hate" and would be equally hostile in their understanding of what is going on in Gaza. Many of these servicemen would have lost their lives fighting the Nazi's and ultimately liberating their death camps and they would have been shocked to learn that the descendents of those they had liberated are not better than the Nazis themselves.
In conclusion, I do not feel that the two "events" are mutually exclusive. I would be pleased for the Services of Remembrance to be opened up to embrace those demonstrating for a ceasefire and the ceasing of attrocities against the citizens of Gaza. Braverman has got this totally wrong and no one seems to be making the obvious connection in that the Service of Remembrance reflects upon the kind of issues which are now happening in the world in real time. It does make me feel ashamed for be British. If 11th November is continue to be relevant and sincere, it needs to recognise that all war is bad and that the consequences for innocent civilians cannot be ignored. If the demonstrators were invited to contribute to the service and opposed to be considered objectionable by the Govt, I feel that this would genuinely make a statement that the whole world could see as opposed to being a fossilized and irrelevant. I woud love to see representives from Ukraine and Gaza invited to attend next Sunday.
I feel that the original issue of the Remembrance Sunday was something that I used to be passionate about but I feel it has increasingly out-served it's purpose. Originally it commemorated the fallen of the two World Wars and, as such, I think merited it's place on the national calender. In 2023, this seems to be less and less the case and most of the "fallen" gave their lives for conflicts such as in Ireland, the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq where the presence of British troops has been far more controversial. I feel that the whole sentiment of Remembrance Sunday is now hijacked by the increasingly hawkish right wing to the extent that is almost seems a celebration of British military prowess whereas the original intention was to reflect upon those who gave up their lives to defend liberty and within a system where conscription meant that many people did not have a say in this matter. Thankfully, society has moved on.
What I do feel strongly about is that Remembrance Sunday should recognise that people are still losing their lives in military conflicts and I feel that it would be far more appropriate not to celebrate British military endeavours but rather reflect upon the consequences for people who have become the victims of military action. In this respect, I feel it is entirely appropriate that people are taking to the streets next Sunday to protest about the genocide being meted out by the Israeli's in Gaza and that this is an entirely appropriate time for British people (many of whom are Muslim) to reflect upon the death and destruction caused by the IDF. I would imagine that many of the British service men who lost their lives in the two world wars would feel ashamed that the government is couching the pro-Palestinian protests in such volitile terms as "marches of hate" and would be equally hostile in their understanding of what is going on in Gaza. Many of these servicemen would have lost their lives fighting the Nazi's and ultimately liberating their death camps and they would have been shocked to learn that the descendents of those they had liberated are not better than the Nazis themselves.
In conclusion, I do not feel that the two "events" are mutually exclusive. I would be pleased for the Services of Remembrance to be opened up to embrace those demonstrating for a ceasefire and the ceasing of attrocities against the citizens of Gaza. Braverman has got this totally wrong and no one seems to be making the obvious connection in that the Service of Remembrance reflects upon the kind of issues which are now happening in the world in real time. It does make me feel ashamed for be British. If 11th November is continue to be relevant and sincere, it needs to recognise that all war is bad and that the consequences for innocent civilians cannot be ignored. If the demonstrators were invited to contribute to the service and opposed to be considered objectionable by the Govt, I feel that this would genuinely make a statement that the whole world could see as opposed to being a fossilized and irrelevant. I woud love to see representives from Ukraine and Gaza invited to attend next Sunday.
