Armed Forces Day events hostings decline
'No local authorities came forward to hold the national event this year.'
Interest in hosting Armed Forces Day events has declined in recent months, according to ForcesWatch and the Peace Pledge Union (PPU). This was highlighted through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the two groups, which has revealed that no local authorities came forward to hold the national event this year, suggesting a lack of interest in funding and hosting it. ‘This is the first time in recent years that there will be no national event for Armed Forces Day,’ the campaign groups said in a statement. ‘During a cost of living crisis… this money would be better spent on education and public services.’
The campaigners also pointed out that ‘in previous years, the national event has cost councils hundreds of thousands of pounds to run. This year the Ministry of Defence is spending over £420,000 on local Armed Forces Day events with some councils having to find significant additional funding.’
There has also been a sharp drop in the overall number of events for the day across the country since before the pandemic. In 2019 there were 316 events listed on the official Armed Forces Day website, compared to only 189 this year. The annual day has been heavily criticised in recent years, with local residents and campaigners raising the alarm about the widespread practice of encouraging children as young as six to handle real weapons at these events.
Britain Yearly Meeting’s Faith in Action team urged Friends to contact the PPU and ForcesWatch ahead of the day on 29 June to obtain posters, stickers and postcards saying ‘War is Not Family Entertainment’. The campaign groups have received an increased number of requests for these materials. In Cambridge, residents organised a peace camp to oppose the city’s first ever event for the day, arguing that it seems ‘wholly insensitive’ to hold a military fair against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. Further protests took place in Leicester, Portsmouth, Leeds, Weymouth, and Aldershot. A resident in Irvine said: ‘We will be organising a number of street stalls around the time to highlight our concerns.’
Last year the national event in Falmouth was met with a peace parade through the city, which was attended by Quakers. Leicester City Council now prevents the armed forces from inviting children to handle weapons, following a campaign by local residents.
In response to FOI requests made by ForcesWatch and the PPU, many local councils have confirmed that they have no specific policies in place on children handling weapons in public spaces, or on the armed forces targeting children in their activities.
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