On Wednesday 13 November, we made a white-poppy ‘No More’ wreath, walked in procession across to the Hazlerigg Fountain and respectfully performed a series of collective actions in various locations on campus.

Our T-shirts were designed and printed by Zoe Petersen (with thanks to Michael Collins and the Lambeth XR art group for their generous help and support). Thanks to Sofia Mali and the postgraduate students of Buckinghamshire New University who made the banner and sent it to us in an expression of solidarity. At various locations,  we performed a collective reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem (2006)  ‘Pity the Nation whose Leaders are Liars’.

Thanks for all the messages of support we received from the many people who were not able to be with us on the day.

White poppies were initiated by the No More War movement in 1920s – see https://www.ppu.org.uk/remembrance-white-poppies . There are many anti-war/pacifist war memorials, one of the most well-known is at Gentioux-Pigerolles, Creuse, France – it bears the inscription ‘maudite soit la guerre’ (war be damned) see https://www.lamontagne.fr/gentioux-pigerolles-23340/politique/centenaire-de-l-armistice-en-creuse-le-conflit-entre-pacifistes-s-enlise-autour-du-monument-de-gentioux_13047091/