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The White Poppy is used as a symbol of peace, worn as an alternative to the red poppy for Remembrance Day. It is worn to remember all victims of war, but its use instead of the usual red poppy is regarded as divisive and even offensive by some.

In 1926, a few years after the introduction of the red poppy in the UK, the idea of pacifists making their own poppies was put forward by a member of the No More War Movement (and that the black centre of the British Legion's red poppies should be imprinted with "No More War"). Nothing seems to have come of this, until in 1933 the Women's Co-operative Guild introduced the White Poppy; their intention was to remember the war dead (as with the red poppy), but with the added meaning of a hope for the end of all wars.

The White Poppy was at first produced by the Co-operative Wholesale Society, because the British Legion refused to be associated with its manufacture. In 1934 the recently-formed Peace Pledge Union joined the CWS in production of the poppies, and eventually took over production and distribution altogether. The annual White Poppy appeal is still run by the PPU.

Some consider the pacifist symbolism of the white poppy to be tainted due to its association to those in the leadership of the Peace Pledge Union who favoured a policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany and support for fascism in Britain during the 1930s and early 1940s . Lord Tavistock, founder of the anti-semitic and pro-Nazi British People's Party), won elections onto the National Council of the Peace Pledge Union up until 1943 and many other prominent members of the PPU were also members of the British People's Party. These included BPP leader John Beckett who had also previously been an ally of Oswald Mosley in the British Union of Fascists, St. John Philby and Ben Greene.

The white poppy is also regarded as a divisive political gesture by those for whom the red poppy is a symbol of collective national remembrance. As the white poppy is worn at the same time as services of remembrance and collections for veterans' charities take place, it may also be regarded as disrespectful to the memory those who fought and died in war, or an act of opposition to the causes served by those charities. In addition, those who wear red poppies may resent the implication that they are in favour of war.^{[citation needed]}

Those who promote the wearing of white poppies argue that the red poppy also conveys a specific political standpoint, and point to the divisive nature of the red poppy in Northern Ireland, where it is worn mainly by the Unionist community. They choose the white poppy over the red often because they wish to disassociate themselves from the militaristic aspects of Remembrance Day, rather than the commemoration itself.^{[citation needed]}

Some individuals choose to wear both white and red poppies.

• Official homepage
• A motion on White poppies before the Scottish Parliament
• CKA: An animated forum debate on the white poppy

News articles

• BBC: Red poppy 'less Christian' claim
• CBC: White poppy emblems anger Edmonton veterans
• Globe and Mail: Legion takes on activists in War of the Poppies

• Ekklesia: Father of dead Canadian soldier supports White Poppy
• Ekklesia: Newspaper and former defence secretary back freedom to choose red or white poppy