A Tory MP delivers a tirade against white poppies and immediately gets owned

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Conservative MP Johnny Mercer has hit the headlines recently after going rogue and describing the Conservative Party as a “shit show”. Which, in fairness, it is.

But he’s now taken to Twitter to launch an ignorant tirade against white poppies. Luckily, social media users quickly corrected his ill-informed nonsense.

Mercer, who is a former army captain, tweeted:

Read on...

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Where to start…

Social media users owned every aspect of Mercer’s tweet. Some took him to task over his “attention seeking” comments:

Twitter user @mollyluna11 continued in a powerful thread to Mercer:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Others addressed other aspects of his comment:

Hijacking symbolism

Twitters users also criticised Mercer’s comments about ‘hijacking’ symbolism. Many highlighted that the white poppy movement began in 1933 when the Co-operative Women’s Guild sent a clear message of “no more war”:

And as others pointed it out, it’s not white poppy wearers who are hijacking the issue, but arms companies:

Another Twitter user gave a clear example of this:

Other social media users also informed Mercer that all wars have hijacked the message of “never again” that the red poppy was supposed to convey:

Freedom

Many people also noted that the tone of Mercer’s tweet was contrary to the very notion of why lives were lost:

Others accused him of “bigotry”:

Even people who support the red poppy weren’t happy with Mercer’s tweet:

Others told Mercer exactly why they wear white poppies:

Rank hypocrisy

On Remembrance Sunday, Theresa May will lay a wreath of red poppies at the Cenotaph. Conservative MPs will posture with their red poppies prominent on their lapels. These are the same MPs who support the UK arming Saudi Arabia despite its ongoing war and indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Yemen. These are the MPs who supported a rise of two-thirds in arms sales to the regime in 2017 and continue this support despite the UN warning that Yemen is now facing the “world’s worst famine in 100 years”.

This is rank hypocrisy. This is the real virtue signalling and the real hijacking of saying “never again” to war. It is politicians and arms companies that have distorted the message of remembrance, not those who choose to wear of symbol of peace.

Get Involved!

– Find out about Peace Pledge Union’s work and order white poppies to share with your community.

Featured image via Wikimedia/Asmithca and YouTube screengrab

 

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