A group of local peace activists are again asking Edmontonians to wear white poppies this Remembrance Day as a symbol of peace.
But veterans across the province are seeing red over the idea.
Patti Hartnagel of the anti-war group Women in Black says the white poppy represents the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts than killing strangers.
"When you see them (white poppies), you need to stop and think about what's happening in our world and the fact that the wars have not solved anything," she told the Sun.
Hartnagel explained the white poppy was created by the England-based Women's Co-operative Guild in 1933 to symbolize their commitment to work for peace.
It's not a slight on the war dead, she said.
"We're not saying get rid of the red poppy," she added.
In fact, some people are wearing their red poppies with a peace sign in the middle.
Others are wearing both a white and red poppy, said Michael Kalmanovitch, owner of Earth's General Store on Whyte Avenue, which is selling the white poppies for the third straight year.
"The white poppy says, 'Hey, let's think of other ways to resolve the conflict,' " said the self-described non-violence activist. "It's forward-thinking, whereas a red poppy is looking back."
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