During World War I, the countryside of Europe was decimated. But the bright red poppy flower thrived and stood out amongst the muddy bleakness. This inspired the Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write his famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, which led Moina Michael, an American humanitarian, to write ‘And now the Torch and Poppy Red, we wear in honor of our dead…’. She, and others such as the Frenchwoman Anna Guérin, successfully campaigned for the poppy to be recognised as an international symbol of remembrance for the war dead. Since the end of World War II, the poppy is now worn in the days leading up to, and on Remembrance Day (11th November). Many people wear it to represent all those from World War I to the current day, who lost their lives on active service.
During World War II, about 12,000 Palestinians volunteered to serve in the British army (1). The Poppy is also the official and national flower of Palestine (2, 3). Therefore, in commemoration of the thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women and children killed, and the millions displaced during the Gazan Genocide of 2023, we created the ‘Palestine Poppy’. Our intention was for this to be worn as a symbol of unity with the beleaguered, oppressed and occupied people of Palestine. Their suffering is decades old, from before the Nakba of 1948, and for too long have they been robbed of their victimhood. Our intention is for the Palestine Poppy to become an anti-apartheid symbol, similar to the raised fist, to be worn until the people of Palestine have their freedom.
The Palestine Poppy has a tri-symmetric, tri-petal design. Its colours match those of the Palestinian flag, a red central ring and border, with black, white, and green petals. It has a diameter of 3cm.
The Palestine Poppy is being sold not-for-profit. The price covers cost of production and a small donation towards charities working on the ground in Palestine, and organisations working to educate people about the region’s history and current situation, and bring about the end to the occupation and war crimes through legal routes (e.g. Friends of Al-Aqsa – FOA, International Centre of Justice for Palestinians – ICJP).
The Palestine Poppy is being sold on Ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296195873510