Below is a reflection on Anzac Day by Marianne Bevan, one of the recipients of the 2010 White Poppy Peace Scholarships. The first recipients of the 2011 White Poppy Peace Scholarships will be announced tomorrow. This message is available on-line at http://www.facebook.com/notes/peace-movement-aotearoa/some-thoughts-on-anzac-day/183831318330912

Some thoughts on Anzac Day

Marianne Bevan

April 2011

Last year there were some tensions about white poppies being available around Anzac Day. There was an expectation by some commenting on the issue that a side must be chosen - red poppy or white - and the choice was assumed to indicate whether one supported war veterans. Yet the white poppy is an international symbol of remembrance for all the casualties of war - civilians and armed forces personnel, including veterans - and of peace. Although much was said in the media coverage in 2010, what generally failed to emerge was genuine discussion about what the white poppy represents and what this means for how we as New Zealanders understand Anzac day and our involvement in conflict more generally.

As a recipient of one of the White Poppy Peace Scholarships, awarded to assist my research on alternatives to militarism in Timor-Leste, at times some of the public commentary made me feel that my status as a "real New Zealander" was under threat. For some people Anzac Day has become a day to reflect on our national identity, an identity based on characteristics shown by the Anzacs which is then seen as representing a shared "New Zealandness". However if Anzac day is to rightly be a day to not only remember those who have died in war, but also to discuss how we understand our place in the world, there needs to be more discussion about what Anzac day means to different people.

Focusing only on how a specific group of people were affected by war, and seeing our "New Zealandness" as being shaped through this, is problematic because it creates an inaccurate understanding of our history. Thinking about both soldiers and other victims of war on Anzac day - such as civilians, the families of military personnel, the victims of wartime sexual violence, and conscientious objectors - can enable us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of our history. From this we can draw a broader range of lessons about our role in creating and maintaining peace in the world.

On Anzac day we should remember civilian casualties and the victims of sexual violence during war. The latter (largely, but not exclusively, women and girls) are often written out of the history books. It is well documented that during armed conflict, women and girls are sexually assaulted by military personnel from all sides. It is also well documented that during and after armed conflict, rates of domestic violence increase; especially when military personnel suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Remembering civilian casualties and victims of sexual violence on a separate day, as some have suggested, fails to recognise that war, civilian hardship and sexual violence go hand in hand.

Similarly, the continued failure to take seriously the sacrifices that conscientious objectors have made also acts to misrepresent history. There was never unified support for New Zealand's engagement in the world wars or more recent wars. Many people have not agreed, for a variety of reasons, that warfare is a legitimate means to solve disputes. This was, and continues to be a valid position to take as history abounds with examples of how non-violent responses to state violence have succeeded in protecting citizens.

However those who objected to World War One, for example, were treated extremely inhumanely. Archibald Baxter, a conscientious objector in New Zealand during World War One, has documented how he spoke with many people who did not agree with warfare as a legitimate means to solve disputes, but were too afraid to resist it for fear of punishment. Archibald experienced this punishment when he - along with others - was forcibly shipped to the front and tortured while his family was ostracised by society at home. In the fight for 'freedom' many people's freedoms were curtailed. Recognising that these people were also victims of war does not take away from the sacrifices that soldiers made in battle. Rather, it shows how destructive war is, for everyone.

The issue of how we engage in conflicts overseas continues to be relevant today. We currently have SAS combat troops in Afghanistan and there is little public debate about whether being involved in that conflict is helping to create peace there.

These issues are also relevant for how we understand our role in peacekeeping. The work of New Zealand peacekeepers around the world is something we should be proud of and appreciate on Anzac Day. However we should also remember that peacekeeping often becomes a last resort that is used when other attempts at creating peace have failed. In many cases, peacekeepers are used because other means of resolving conflict have not been tried. Timor-Leste provides one example of this: for 24 years successive New Zealand governments largely failed to condemn the brutal Indonesian occupation or to push for peaceful means to resolve that conflict. It was not until after large-scale violence erupted in 1999 that peacekeepers were then sent.

Therefore, on Anzac day it is not enough to only remember and to acknowledge sacrifice of soldiers. That does not prevent future wars. In order to discuss what role we as a country want to have in maintaining peace, we need to think more broadly about the different ways people are affected by armed conflict and learn from the many different ways people work to create peace.
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Peace Movement Aotearoa
the national networking peace organisation
PO Box 9314, Wellington 6141, Aotearoa New Zealand

Website - http://www.converge.org.nz/pma
Not in Our Name - http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nionnz.htm
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