Mhairi Black has appeared on Robert Peston’s Peston on Sunday show wearing a white poppy instead of the traditional red one worn to mark Remembrance Day.
Ms Black was discussing procedures in the House of Commons she believes need changing with Peston, who was wearing a red poppy.
Remembrance Day falls on 13 November and commemorates the servicemen and women who have given their lives in wars. People wear red poppies, the proceeds of which go to the Royal British Legion, a charity which provides support to veterans of the British Armed Forces and their families, and a National Service of Remembrance is held at The Cenotaph in Whitehall.
The white poppy is a symbol of peace and is worn either as an alternative to a red poppy or alongside one in the run-up to Remembrance Day. The poppies are distributed by the Peace Pledge Union and commemorate victims of war. On its website, the PPU says they are also designed to “challenge attempts to glamourise or celebrate war”.
The white poppy pays tributes to victims of all wars, including those which are still ongoing.
Armistice Day is marked with two minutes of silence on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The day commemorates the end of the First World War engendered by the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany.
