Peace poppy campaign ignites in Luton

The great poppy debate has been raging for decades with the sight of the red poppy seemingly becoming more of a politically correct statement rather than being one of true meaning.

In recent years we have seen the BBC rush to ensure Huw Edwards was suitably attired with a Red Poppy after a member of the public complained halfway through a show that he had not put one on and another presenter, Jonathon Ross had a poppy superimposed on his suit so as to be sure not to upset anyone.

In Luton on Sunday 11th of November the peace poppy row exploded in a show of aggression by Kevin Carrol of the EDL and Police Commissioner Candidate for the town against a local peace campaigner and his son.

Peace campaigner Marc Scheimann press secretary to Luton TUC, attended with his four year old son Luton Remembrance Day outside Luton Town Hall by the War memorial, after the two minutes silence, religious speeches of commemorance the parade marched away, Marc & Kiran Scheimann approached the rear of the memorial to lay a white peace poppy wreath. Each year since 1989, Marc has laid a peace wreath to remember his German and British grand fathers who both lost their lives on the two opposing sides during the World War Two, the reason for why he wears a red and a white poppy.

For twenty four years Marc has respectfully done this with the understanding of the Luton public without any problem, until this year when English Defence League deputy & far right British Freedom Party candidate for the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commission, Kevin Carroll made the exception. Waving a clenched fist and using aggressive gesturing he shouted at Kevin before speaking to three police officers that he hopes to lead after the November 15th elections.

Two Officers approached Mark and requested his name, address and telephone number, which he gave. They asked Mark to step back for a moment because they felt he was causing breach of the peace by his actions. Mark stated that it was only a very small minority of the public shouting and they were all connected with Kevin Carroll. After a few minutes Mark and his son laid their peace reef flanked by two police officers. They asked him to leave straight away but stated he had the right to have time to pay his respect and talk to members of the council including our two MPs. Mark feared for the safety of his peace reef so stood close by it with the two officers, one at each side.

Kevin Carroll approached Mark pointing with a closed fist and pointed at the wreath laid by Mark and his son.

A twenty something woman suddenly made a grab for the wreath, shouting and made a grab to remove the wreath from the wires. Mark dived forward letting go of his sons’ hand to fall on the wreath preventing its’ theft whilst the officers took no action.

Mr Carroll seeing that his hopes had been thwarted stated shouting again saying many times over: “You’re just a scumbag, you and the Wakehams (fellow peace campaigners) hate troops. 
“When I’m police commissioner, I will make sure you are locked up in jail for this."

Mark replied that he hoped Carroll would lose his deposit getting less than 5 % of the vote.

His actions and tirade clearly demonstrate if doubt ever existed that he does not just hate Muslims, but all people what ever the colour of their skin, who dare to hold an opinion different to his.

Is this the democracy that the people who we remember died for?

Not the King's speech

At the recent alternative march to the presence of the EDL in Luton on May the 5th 2012, there were a number of speeches made by local people, trade unionists and MP's. I have been fortunate enough to get a transcript of one particular speech and have posted here in NNI.




'WE ARE LUTON.


And we are here today because there is an ever-increasing divide in the UK between people of different heritage. This divide is pushed on us by people such as Theresa May and David Cameron. Cameron who last February made a scandalous speech, whilst you were here standing against the oppression of the EDL, when he said that multiculturalism had failed in the UK. This divide and rule is accomplished through the mainstream media, whose sole purpose it seems, is to keep us in a perpetual state of fear and terror of each other.


A Fear and terror that is preyed upon by likes of Stephen Lennon and Saiful Islam.


The challenge is to rise above this daily indoctrination, led by the media, on how we should see one another. Like Martin Luther King I am proud to be “mal-adjusted to a sick society”, a society that stands by and watches as our liberties are eroded daily and the blame laid at the feet of Muslims.
I do not need to be a Muslim to know that Muslims are being targeted today, and let me be frank, it is white males like George Bush and Tony Blair, with the exception of Barack Obama, that have been the biggest terrorists and terror threat for the past 11 years, not Islam. We have to realise we all share a common heritage, the human heritage, that we have more in common with each other than we do differences and it is this fact that has led to me speaking here today.


There are no problems but human problems.


When we start to see ourselves as being human, not divided, not separate races, then we start to realise that we cannot sit idly by and watch as groups get singled out, and not stand in defence of them. It is all to easy to sit and point the finger of blame at everyone except ourselves for not making a stand, because we were too distracted by football or X-factor.


Once we have taken responsibility for the world we live in we have a duty to act.


Tensions in the town are high and it is everybody’s responsibility to do what we can, to undo the damage being done by a minority group of ignorant people that do not truly represent the people that they claim to.


Now I am going to say something that may not be popular but feel it is important. Hating the EDL will neither make them go away nor solve the problem. This goes for all extremist views. The leadership, if you can call it that, of the EDL have ignorant views on society and have been followed blindly by a misguided and ill-informed group of people.
Ignorance breeds fear, for you’ll always fear what you do not understand.
These extremists, like all people, are products of their environment. That is to say that if Stephen Lennon had been adopted at birth by a Muslim family, then I am sure his views on Islam would be vastly different to that of the rhetoric he spouts today.


This is human nurture over nature.


If the environment and experiences of these people are of a negative nature, with regards to different parts of the community, then the extremist views of people like Stephen Lennon and Saiful Islam will find a home to fester and grow.


So long as we continue to be conned into being divided up into groups we will change nothing, Muslims will fight for the Muslim causes, the nationalists will fight for their nations and the ignorant will fight for their idea of race.


Hate will only lead to more hate.


Positive experience is one way we can help to rebuild relations, in not only this town, but across the country. We are all connected in a way that no one yet fully understands and if we do not come together in brotherhood then we will perish as fools. As Jiddu Krishnamurti said “you have to be the light”, this means WE, have to be the light.
Which is why I am proud to stand here today with people coming together to make the change.
To demonstrate in a peaceful way is a much more powerful message than letting it descend into violence and confrontation, so I urge you evoke a spirit of non-violence today and on this note I will leave you with Martin Luther Kings view on non-violence;


"I am still convinced that nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom and justice.” '