Activist shares image of their 'poppy for Palestine' - and it's sparking a huge debate
The red, white, green, and black poppy was knitted by social media user Clare Hymer’s mum
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A Pro-Palestine activist has shared an image of a knitted poppy in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
The red, white, green, and black poppy, knitted by social media user Clare Hymer’s mum, has already caused a storm online.
The photo has gathered over 4,000 shares and 35,000 likes.
The Palestine poppy has divided people, with some believing it appropriate and others not.
WATCH NOW: Palestinian poppies - are they appropriate?
Some users praised the symbol as “cute”, wondering how they can get their hands on one: “How can I buy one?”
One user said: “Oh my god, this is like the most cute thing I have ever seen on social media today!! I would actually love it buy it!”
Another added: “This fills me with immense joy, my deepest admiration and love to her for her heartfelt creation.”
A fourth said: “God bless your mum”, whilst a fifth said: “This is wonderful!”
However, not everyone was as pleased by the symbol, branding the mother as “shameful”.
One user commented: “What a disgrace! Tell your mum is she lived in Palestine under Hamas she wouldn’t have any rights. How disrespectful to those young men who gave their lives so we could all have a future.”
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Another ranted: “That poppy has nothing to do with what the poppy symbolises. The poppy isn’t a symbol of resistance or support for a ppl. It’s remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending this country. Shame on you for appropriating it for your cause.”
“Shame on you and your mum..... let's take a symbol from another country shall we and tarnish that,” a different user said as they condemned the repurposed poppy.
On GB News, presenters and guests weighed in on the debate.
Dawn Neesom said: “The armistice is about celebrating the end of WW1 and peace, what everybody, right-minded wants now is peace in the Middle East. So, I actually don’t have a huge problem with it, I must admit.
“This isn’t celebrating Hamas, this isn’t celebrating terrorism, it’s not celebrating the appalling tragedies that happened in Israel. It is hopefully aiming for peace.”
Freddy Gray agreed with Neesom and said he believed that the issue was another example of a “culture war spat”.
“I think if you get upset about people wearing poppies, you’re ridiculous, if you get upset about people not wearing poppies, you’re also quite ridiculous. It’s a good thing, it’s not a necessity, it’s not a legal obligation.
The revamped poppies have divided people PA“It’s the sort of culture war spats that we can really do without about what sort of poppies you should wear.”
He echoed Neesom’s point that the poppy wasn’t created to support Hamas, but rather the Palestinian people: “That in itself is not an offensive thing, it’s not a Hamas logo.”
GB News’ Isobel Webster said that the trouble lies in the fact that Hamas have commandeered the Palestinian Flag.
Webster later read out a viewer’s take on the situation: “Yes, I take issues with the Palestinian poppy. The poppy was chosen for its huge symbolic significance when poppies adorned the battlefields after World War One.
“It should be honoured and respected as a symbol of thanks and remembrance for all who made sacrifices for us. If you want to show solidarity for Palestine, get your own symbol. Do not hijack the poppy.”
Yesterday, outrage was sparked online after a cenotaph in Rochdale had its poppies removed and replaced with Palestinian flags.
The discarded poppy wreaths were later picked up by a man who placed them back on the cenotaph, and took away the Palestinian flags.