As people across Britain gather on Remembrance Sunday (8 November 2009) to recall those lost in war, a remarkable opinion poll published today shows a strong public desire for an emphasis on peace in these ceremonies.
The poll, commissioned by the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia, and carried out by the professional polling organisation, ComRes, in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday, also indicates that people believe the deaths of those who fought against Britain should be marked alongside the British dead.
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In the new Ekklesia / ComRes poll,
93 per cent of respondents say they believe that, contrary to many existing remembrance traditions, civilians who died in war should also be remembered.
And 95 per cent of people surveyed say they think
the main message of Remembrance Sunday should be one of peace.
Meanwhile, 87 per cent of the population agree with the statement:
"Remembrance Sunday should be about marking the dead on all sides of war, not just the British."
When asked about the current war in Afghanistan,
53 per cent say they feel that politicians' treatment of people in the Armed Forces there goes against the lessons of Remembrance Day.
Other polls indicate that in spite of the Government’s attempts to pump up Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan, a majority are now against its current military approach – which many strategists say is fundamentally flawed.
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Ekklesia's co-director, Jonathan Bartley, explained: “When Archbishop Robert Runcie remembered the Argentinian dead in a service at St Paul's Cathedral after the Falklands conflict, he caused a political storm. Now appears that the overwhelming majority feel that deaths on all sides in war should be remembered.”
He added: “Misgivings about the way we remember have been expressed for many decades. Harry Patch, the 'last Tommy' who died this year, expressed his own reservations and laid wreaths of poppies on both German and British graves.”
Ekklesia says that the time has come for us to update our remembrance traditions and to acknowledge that we cheapen remembrance if we do not recognise the full tragedy of war for everyone, and make an active commitment to peace.
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The survey results can be read in full here:
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/remembranceresults.pdf