Growing call to recognise civilians on Remembrance Day, amidst record conflict deaths worldwide
Growing call to recognise civilians on Remembrance Day, amidst record conflict deaths worldwide
Joint press release by Every Casualty Counts and Peace Pledge Union
As global civilian deaths in conflict reach record levels, campaigners and public figures are calling for Remembrance Day to properly recognise civilian victims of war. A special series of commemorations this weekend will draw attention to civilian casualties, culminating in a ‘Virtual Cenotaph’ outdoor video projection in Central London.
Acclaimed actor Sir Mark Rylance, who is due to speak at one of the commemorations, has backed the call, saying, “Unfortunately wars are fought with and against civilians today and I consider it an offense not to remember their suffering.”
The ‘Virtual Cenotaph’ projection, organised by Every Casualty Counts (ECC) and Quakers in Britain, will feature testimonies of ordinary people killed in conflicts over the past year. The testimonies are drawn from Memorial 2025, a new project by ECC being launched at the event, telling the stories of over 100 people who have lost their lives in Ukraine, Sudan, Mexico, Palestine and other war zones around the world.
Rachel Taylor, Executive Director of ECC, said, “Every life lost to war is a tragedy and should be remembered. But remembering those who died in wars of the past is a hollow act if we don’t also recognise the victims of war today. That is why today we are launching the Memorial 2025 project, which brings together the stories of ordinary people killed in wars around the world over the previous year.”
Sir Mark Rylance, who wears a white poppy, will speak at the National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony, an annual event that commemorates all victims of war, both civilian and military, and highlights the importance of actively working for peace. Testimonies from Memorial 2025 will also be read out at the event.
The ceremony is organised by the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), the UK's leading pacifist organisation and distributor of white poppies, which campaigns for nonviolent approaches to conflict and against all forms of militarism.
Geoff Tibbs, Remembrance Project Manager at the PPU, said, "In most wars, civilians bear the brunt of the violence - a fact clearer than ever today - yet they are rarely acknowledged at the Cenotaph each year. For too long, their lives and experiences have been sidelined.”
He added, "This Remembrance Sunday, wreaths of white poppies will be laid in London, as in many places across the UK, to remember all victims of war, civilians as well as military personnel, of all nationalities. We will share their stories and renew our commitment to struggling for a peaceful future."
The number of civilian deaths worldwide jumped by 40% in 2024 and has been increasing for three years running, due to the violence in Gaza, Ukraine and other war zones worldwide. The death toll is especially acute among children, who are being killed in unprecedented numbers, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
A further event in London on Sunday, the Remembrance Lecture organised by the Movement for the Abolition of War, will feature Lord John Alderdice, Founding Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict in Oxford. His lecture will explore the possible paths to peace amidst worldwide crises of war and climate catastrophe.
This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War, in which an estimated 60% of casualties were civilians. Today, in some conflicts up to 95% of casualties are civilians, due to the use of modern explosive weapons in heavily populated areas.
In spite of this, mainstream remembrance events have traditionally commemorated only British and allied military victims of war, as symbolised by the red poppy. In recent years, the Royal British Legion has made limited moves to ‘acknowledge’ civilians, but campaigners are now urging them to go further and place civilians at the centre of Remembrance Day commemorations.
White poppies have been worn since 1933 to remember all victims of war, civilian and military, of all nationalities. They also represent a commitment to peace and a challenge to militarism. This contrasts with red poppies, which, according to the Royal British Legion, commemorate only British and allied armed forces personnel and express “support for the armed forces.”