In todays Edmonton Journal:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=b6082418-4abd-4d4d-b11d-94472f6d8425
Nip white poppies in the bud, legion says
Antiwar symbol 'illegal, disturbing'
Bill Mah, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
EDMONTON - Call it the war of the poppies.
On one side, antiwar activists offer white poppies to symbolize a desire for peace.
On the other side, a veterans group says white poppies infringe on a registered symbol -- the red poppies sold by the Royal Canadian Legion in advance of Remembrance Day to honour Canada's war dead. The red poppy has been used in Canada since 1921.
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Patti Hartnagel, a member of Edmonton Women In Black, an anti-war group that is selling white poppies, says the red and white symbols don't have to be in conflict with each other, but instead could be worn together.
John Lucas, The Journal
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"November 11th is Remembrance Day. It is the one day set aside where we show our respect to the war dead. We don't get judgmental about why they died or where they died or for whom they died."
Stewart said the white poppies "piggyback" an inappropriate political message onto Remembrance Day. He said a more appropriate day might be Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace, and suggested the groups sell olive branches instead of poppies.
The legion issued a statement condemning the white poppy campaign Tuesday. "This practice is not only disturbing, but illegal," said the press release.
The poppy, in any form other than a real poppy, is a registered symbol of the legion and can't be used without permission, Stewart said.
He said the legion will ask the groups selling white poppies to stop. Legal action has been used in the past to enforce trademark infringement, he said.
White poppies -- with the word "peace" in the centre -- are being sold by Edmonton Women in Black, an anti-war group, and Earth's General Store, a retailer known for its environmental and social justice stances.
Patti Hartnagel, a member of Women In Black, was taken aback when told of the legion's statement.
"They are suggesting ... we are suggesting that these white poppies are an alternative to the traditional red poppy, and that's not we're saying," she said.
The two symbols can be worn together, Hartnagel said.
"How can you not respect the sacrifice of the veterans? But also, add a proactive element to that."
She said her group takes donations in exchange for the poppies to make contributions to schools in Afghanistan and to other charities abroad.
The white poppy was created by the Women's Co-operative Guild in England in 1933.
"The Guild stressed that the white poppy was not intended as an insult to those who died in the First World War -- a war in which many of the women lost husbands, brothers, sons and lovers," says a website run by an anti-war group, Peace Pledge Union.
Michael Kalmanovitch, owner of the Earth's General Store, said he began importing the white poppies from Peace Pledge Union three years ago.
But on Tuesday he received a phone call from the legion's Dominion Command, its national office, telling him the white poppies aren't allowed to be sold in Canada and that Peace Pledge Union was told that last year.
"Then they asked if we're going to continue to sell these things. I said 'Yes, we are until such time as we get an official notice that we are in contravention of trademark laws or whatever.' "
Of an initial order of 200, he had about 30 or 40 left on Tuesday afternoon.
Kalmanovitch said even some veterans have purchased white poppies at the store.
bmah@thejournal.canwest.com
SOUNDING BOARD
Do you agree the Royal Canadian Legion should be the only group allowed to sell poppies? E-mail city@thejournal.canwest.
com. Please put "poppies" in the subject line. We'll publish selected responses.
© The Edmonton Journal 2006