working for peace since 1934 number 69 Spring 2015 ISSN 1350-3006 w e n e h t peace matters WORKING FOR PEACE WITHOUT VIOLENCE MAY 15 INTERNATIONAL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS ‘DAY Remember the dead COs of World War One support our work ISSN 1350 – 3006 Peace Pledge Union help build a culture Peaceworks 1 Peace Passage London N7 0BT of nonviolence Phone: 020 7424 9444 Email [email protected] Web site: www.ppu.org.uk Peace Matters is published by the Peace Pledge Union. I/we would like to join the PPU www.peacematters.org.uk Annual subscription : Material published in Peace Matters does individual £21.00 not necessarily reflect PPU policy. two at the same address £28.00 Editor: Jan Melichar. low income £10.00 With help from: Annie Bebington Or subscribe to Peace Matters and Peace Works only Typeset and design: PPU Annual subscription: £6.00 Printing: Lithosphere I/we enclose £ cheque bankers order The Peace Pledge Union is the oldest or debit my card non-sectarian pacifist organisation in no Britain. Through the War Resisters’ Inter - national it links with similar groups expiry date throughout the world. It is one of the security no __ | __ | __ original sponsors of Campaign Against Arms Trade, a member of Liberty and a co Name operating organisation of Landmine Address Action For information about the Peace Pledge Union contact: Annie, PPU 1 Peace Pas - sage London N7 0BT . or www.ppu.org.uk ONLINE www/ppu.org.uk/join Next Council meeting May 26 To: The Manager: Bank Address Your account number4 Please pay on / /2015 and on the same day each MONTH / YEAR (delete as appropriate) To: The Co-operative Bank plc, 62 Southampton Row London WC1B 4AR 08-90-61 Peace Pledge Union Main Account no 50504527 the sum of £ _______ amount in words__________________________ Signature ________________________________ date _________ www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 3 COMMENT any thanks to all of you who have helped to make 2014 the join us on Myear when we distributed a record 100,000 white poppies. Saturday 6 June This put a strain on our office and we know that some of you were 11.30 disappointed that we could not get more poppies to you in time. We AGM and Conference have made sure that this does not happen this year but it is as well MILITARISM AND EDUCATION London to order in good time. The increase in distribution of white poppies is gratifying but after all the Peace Pledge Union is not a florist and I doubt that you wear the white poppy as a fashion accessory. The white poppy has now spread to Canada, New Zealand, Australia and is making inroads amongst war without end the ‘Flanders' poppies in Belgium. In its remembering remembrance popularity we notice a danger of it being assimilated into that Jan Melichar mélange of all-purpose ‘peace’ symbols signifying not very much. We strive to ensure that its radical anti war message of 'no to any war' remains firmly embedded in the symbolic meaning of our white poppy. Is that how you see it? It would be good to hear from you. Write to us . Remembrance 2014, the first Remembrance Day of the WW1 centenary was unsurprisingly steeped in WW1 references. The pop - ular so called sea of poppies at the Tower of London could also be called a blood red tide of poppies . The Tower originally built to sup - press a conquered population, and home to many other cruelties since, graphically symbolised the source of the blood letting. It is from military installations that the forces that cause blood to flow emanate. The cascade of red poppies from the orifices of the battle - ment wall is a deeply symbolic (albeit probably unintended) illus - tration of this. Despite the popularity of the display it had to be dismantled just after Remembrance Day as several hundred arms The popular sea of poppies or manufacturers and sundry military and political attendants were blood red tide depending on your having their annual dinner in the Tower. point of view at the Tower of Vladimir Putin's mouthpiece the "Autonomous Nonprofit London - originally built to sup - Organization" RT (formally Russia Today television channel) made press a conquered population great play of this quoting CAAT's press release: "It is disturbing that and home to many other cruelties just weeks later it (the Tower of London)can play host to the very since, graphically symbolised the arms companies, which profit from perpetuating war and conflict source of the blood letting. Bertold Brecht 4 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 COMMENT today. It is crassly insensitive and in extremely bad taste that this historic monument would do this so soon after provid - ing such a high-profile focal point for Remembrance Day.” Of course it suits the Russian propaganda machine to smear one of the world's most lucrative industries but what of CAAT's statement? We may be at one in its criticism of the arms trade (indeed the PPU was one of its founding organ - isations) but what about the whole red poppy industry and its role in reinforcing support and acceptance of the mili - tary. The congruence of 888,000 red poppies and a hun - dred arms manufacturers is not so strange. The arms manu - facturers and the British Legion are, after all, a partnership. Nostalgia and propaganda apart, the dominant narrative during remembrance and much of the WW1 centenary so far has been that the war was terrible but men heroically The ‘title of the Legion’s Learning Pack gave their all for freedom and their king and country, it was 2014/15 is: For Them, For Now, For sad that so many were killed and injured and it must never Ever. The title together with the cover picture helps us to decode the mean - happen again. Those too are the messages carefully wrapped ing. From ‘them’ the WW1 casualties in cellophane and left with wreaths of red poppies in ceme - to ‘for ever’ the modern day soldiers silhouetted under a hot desert sun teries across France and Belgium by British school children, reveal the Legion’s view not only of the many on state paid visits accompanied by a serving soldier in past (a necessary war) but future (there will always be wars). Is this fatalistic uniform. vision of a future of endless wars and a Of course the war was terrible and very sad for many and miserable view of human inability to solve problems nonviolently how we surely it should not happen again but what are these much see ourselves? trumpeted lessons that have been learned? And why do wars Want to help develop a response? keep ‘happening’? What does this narrative tell us and the Contact us at [email protected] younger generation that the government and the British Legion are so anxious to reach? The causes of the war, when mentioned, are usually placed at a distance far removed from mere human intervention. Causes of any particular war may be complex but some core matters can be glimpsed every - where. For example, do a media search for anything vaguely related to Remembrance during the remembrance period, such as the Guardian website and you will invariably get a big top of the page banner added for the army or the reserves. Remembrance Day and Armistice Day before have www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 5 NEWS alway been a good time for military recruitment. CONFLICT Remembrance Day, unless contained within it is a view of TIME a better future, will remain no more than annual theatre for PHOTOGRAPHY the vast majority, a fundraising and recruiting opportunity There are always questions about for others. The British Legion calls itself the ‘custodian’ of representation of the world around us. Questions which we the viewer remembrance; if this means remembering the human cost of probably do not ask ourselves often Britain’s wars well and good but when this morphs into a enough while viewing a photo - justification of war then we should seriously question its place graph even in a gallery. The photog - in public life. The title of the Legion’s Learning Pack 2014/15 rapher may have one thing in mind is: For Them, For Now, For Ever. The title together with the but what the viewer may be 'see - cover picture helps us to decode the meaning. From ‘them’ the ing' is something altogether differ - WW1 casualties to ‘for ever’ the modern day soldiers silhou - ent. Conflict, Time, Photography at etted under a hot desert sun reveal the Legion’s view not only Tate Modern should be of interest of the past (a necessary war) but future (there will always be to those of us concerned about war wars). Is this fatalistic vision of a future of endless wars and a and its representation especially in miserable view of human inability to solve problems nonvio - the WW1 centenary years. The pho - lently how we see ourselves? Is this the lesson we want to tographs in this exhibition are impart to our children? Intractable as some conflicts may seem grouped according to how long they are not beyond our ability to handle them without mass after a conflict or event they were taken. War has passed on, we look at some of its traces on the land - scape. In one room are photographs of destroyed cities taken shortly after the end of WW1, many printed at the time in what became popular tourist guides - an early example of today's Dark Tourism or Thanatourism for the academically minded.