SNP backbencher Michelle Thomson attended a Holyrood finance committee hearing on Tuesday morning wearing a white poppy to which she attached a pin badge depicting the official logo of the Yes campaign in the 2014 referendum. Independence campaigners have continued to use the logo since Scots voted to remain in the UK, with Ms Thomson using her custom poppy as Nicola Sturgeon continues her bid for a second referendum next year. Ms Thomson said she had not intended to cause offence, and had only affixed the Yes sign as a makeshift solution after being found without a safety pin. However, veterans claimed her decision to use an overtly political symbol was repugnant and offensive. “This is an insult to veterans,” said Bruce Wilson, a former captain in the Royal Marines and Scottish LibDems’ veterans spokesman. “It seems there is nothing nationalists won’t put a Yes sticker on. “Whether you choose to wear a white poppy or a red one, this is a symbol of solemn remembrance, not a ploy to publicize your narrow-minded political cause.”
“No offense intended”
The white poppies are distributed by a pacifist body, the Peace Pledge Union. The organization says the white poppy represents the victims of all wars, not just members of the British armed forces. Some anti-war activists have claimed that the red poppy has become associated with militarism and that its original meaning has been subverted. A representative for Ms Thompson claimed she had only attached a political symbol to the symbol as her previous white poppy had disintegrated. “Michelle has been wearing a white poppy all last week and her message of peace is something she strongly believes in,” the spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, this poppy, which was made of paper, fell apart over the weekend. On her arrival at the committee, she asked a colleague for another white poppy and received one – but without a safety pin. “She used her Yes sign to pin it before getting another safety pin after the panel. No offense intended. “Her white poppy, promoting the message of peace, will be placed in the usual way in the Scottish Parliament after the committee today.”
