Forum Topic

British Legion Poppy Sellers ask to move on

My daughter witnessed the British Legion poppy sellers being ask to move on by the staff of Newlook and River Island and receiving insults from passers by in the Ealing Broadway shopping centre If this is what the great British public thinks of a Charity helping our armed services, I think it’s about time we boycott these companies for there disgraceful behaviour to our armed forces.As for the passers by, my Father and Grandfather fought in two world wars to give us the freedom of speech we have to day, but insulting them is another thing altogether      

Paul Allen ● 5799d20 Comments

Unbelievable. Did you complain to the manager?According to Channel 4 Dispatches programme Newlook deserve to be boycotted anyway because of the use of child labour by their suppliers

Paul Cavanagh ● 5799d

I think the shops' staffs were exceeding their remit as I am sure they do not rent the walkways in front of their premises. This is surely a matter for the company that owns Ealing Broadway Centre.Regarding the Great British Public by the time one reduces it to the core 'British' there's not much left of it, and what there is has been so 'comprehensively' educated that it's never heard of the two World Wars. I,too, sometimes wonder why my father flew over Germany in the 1940s. He wasn't welcome there either.

Alan Brainsby ● 5799d

Absolute disgrace!At least M&S allows the poppy seller into the store! I woould boycott the stores who acted in this way.

Jean F Fernandez ● 5798d

"Regarding the Great British Public by the time one reduces it to the core 'British' there's not much left of it".What an odious post.

Robin Taylor ● 5797d

Legal and General own Ealing Broadway Centre (EBC). If British Legion didn't get permisson from Legal and General then no doubt Legal and General would have thrown them out.Legal and General have previous on this. Both ditributors of free newsletters and residents taking photographs have all been thrown out of EBC by Legal and General.

Eric Alan Leach ● 5796d

Hi EricThey were not thrown out, they were allegedly asked to move away from the font of Newlook and Riverisland by the staff of those shops.I think the British Legion is a well run Charity, and normally permission is sort before they return to the same locations each year.I hope it wasn’t the onsite management of the shopping centre, very short sighted of them if it was. God forbid if they have a loved one badly injured in one of the current conflicts and need the help of these Charities for their rehabilitation.I cannot see the British Legion being on the same par as free newspaper distributors and ask to leave, you have to go up to them if you want to make a donation for a poppy, they don’t go around asking you to buy one.  Residents being thrown out for taking photos seems a bit OTT to me, then it takes all sorts to make this world.     

Paul Allen ● 5796d

The real odium is the truth of the statement.

Alan Brainsby ● 5795d

Have you read this Allan?This site encourages everyone to treat each other with mutual respect. Do not use the Forum to threaten, harass, stalk, or abuse others participating in the Forum. Refrain from all expressions of bigotry, racism, hatred, or obscenity.

James Brown ● 5794d

Yes. It applies to all equally I assume.My comments are unbiased and based on verifiable fact or observation. I am not entirely responsible for the truth.

Alan Brainsby ● 5794d

If you were better educated, you wouldn't have made such an odious remark.Try researching the Commonwealth contribution to the war effort.In short, make an effort to find out what you're talking about before issuing forth with your drivel.

Robin Taylor ● 5794d

Correct me f I am wrong, but is it not usual for a member of the current elected Council (a councillor I mean) to be appointed to a director's post on Ealing Broadway Centre: could not s/he be questioned about this via a question to a full Ealing Council meeting via the process suggested by Councillor Phil Taylor elesewhere?

Jeff Belsen ● 5794d

"Try researching the Commonwealth contribution to the war effort."...Indeed. Assuming we are talking of the two world wars of the last century then the sacrifices made by the 'commonwealth' citizens, of which there were very many, was more by 'imperial' troops as most of those countries were still embraced by the mercy of the British Empire. Subsequent to World War 2 they became independent, albeit most are Commonwealth nations but not all. The British Empire was a political entity, the Commonwealth (of Nations) is not.Had Britain fallen in either of the two wars then most of the Empire's states would have fallen also, some to Germany and others to Japan. Those countries fought for their own survival too.Just because a country was British-owned once and has subsequently become independent does not make it, or its post-independence citizens, British.We owe a great gratitude to those imperial citizens who actually fought or assisted in the war effort, but not to those who were not involved, or followed. 

Alan Brainsby ● 5794d

I don't know why but I feel there has been a lot of emphasis this year in remembering the fallen. "were still embraced by the mercy of the British Empire" is a turn of phrase which is wrong and on the face of it extremely arrogant and totally inappropriate to how decent minded people think now.It may be that the administration of the East India Company was less harsh than would have been the case had Russia realised its ambitions of invading India instead of the British. But tell me how many Sikhs thought they were being embraced by mercy. Did Gandhi think the British were merciful?I agree that the British Legion people were treated disgracfully. It would be useful to know how many directors of L&G had antecedents who lost their lives in WW2 and 2 - but I cannot find any info. Else we could write to them.

George Knox ● 5794d

Re: "I don't know why but I feel there has been a lot of emphasis this year in remembering the fallen." Maybe it's the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the media hyping up the Middle East conflict.Regarding "the mercy of the British Empire" it is probably arrogant now but was it 80 years ago? Pax Britannica worked, fairly well. Perhaps someone who remembers the attitude from the 1920s/1930s could post a reply. I'm far too young to know. :)If the Sikhs hadn't tried it on with the Brits it might have been easier for them. At least we had a fantastic arrangement with the Gurkhas; it was terrible that it took so long to reward them more recently.

Alan Brainsby ● 5794d

Pax Britannica worked, fairly well.Did it?

George Knox ● 5794d

The "mercy of the British Empire"..?I suppose somebody of your ilk has never heard of Jallianwala Bagh (no, don't bother trying to pronounce it, or we'll be here all night) where there were 1,526 Indian casualties - most of them Sikhs - of which around 1,000 were killed. The British fired on them because they were taking part in a peaceful pro-independence demonstration in their OWN country.This was in 1919, which was just a few years after 1.25m Indian (mostly Sikh) soldiers fought for the British in the First World War (of whom 160,000 lost their lives). And YOU have the audacity to talk about the Sikhs "trying it on"?I rather get the impression that you, unlike them, have never died fighting for this country... am I correct?In the Second World War, 2.5m Indians fought for the allies, of whom 36,000 were killed. The Indian Treasury donated £1bn to Britain’s war effort (this despite widespread famine in the sub-continent). Indian soldiers received 4,000 awards for gallantry and 31 Victoria Crosses. By the way, the British colonisation of India was one of the biggest examples of economic migration that the world has ever seen. And we didn't wait to be "invited" over there - and nor did we respect any of their customs.(My apologies to Paul Allen, who in good faith started a thread about the mistreatment of poppy sellers only to have it hijacked by Alan Brainsby with his racist agenda).

Robin Taylor ● 5794d

"I rather get the impression that you, unlike them, have never died fighting for this country... am I correct?"Funnily enough, exactly like you I have never died, otherwise neither of us would be posting (or have I missed something?).You have merely reinforced my point about differentiating between those that fought, and survived, and those who haven't fought for this country or any other.

Alan Brainsby ● 5793d

Have you fought and survived for this country, Alan?If not, why do you deserve an iota more respect than a Commonwealth or any other citizen who has not either?Why do you think that sharing a passport with British veterans makes you special, while someone who shares an Indian passport with predecessors who fought in WWII is not special?

Gerald Cabb ● 5785d

Conversely, as we're talking about poppies: my wife was in Sanctuary the other day when two Asian girls walked in to the changing rooms (on the way out).  As it is women-only, they were happily walking about chatting and clothed in towels and swimsuits like the others, and she watched as they got dressed normally: but then both put on full Muslim headscarves, to go outside.  Both then proudly pinned their poppies onto their headscarves and went out.Now I wonder what Alan would make of them.  British (their accents suggested they're born here like many), and proudly showing so with their poppies?  Or interlopers whose parents had less honourable passports and so have no right to be associated with jolly fine British soldiers?I'd be interested to know.

Gerald Cabb ● 5785d

Excellent post, Gerald.And a timely reminder that many Muslims did, indeed, give their lives fighting for this country.Not that they'll get any gratitude from the likes of Alan Brainsby.

Robin Taylor ● 5785d