The wearing of poppies by presenters on the BBCNI has been described as an “ongoing insult” by a West Belfast-based victims’ organisation.

Relatives for Justice Director Mark Thompson says the poppy, which has been a permanent feature on the lapels of BBC presenters for the past three weeks, is not a neutral symbol, despite unionist claims to the contrary.

And he says the BBC should make the North an exception to the directive, as it does with its World Service, where poppies are not compulsory.

“The poppy directive doesn’t carry through to the BBC’s World Service,” said Mark.  

“It is our understanding that presenters don’t wear poppies on the World Service for two reasons. 

“The first is that other nations don’t understand the significance of the poppy, and secondly, it is because they don’t want to offend countries the British once fought against like Germany, Italy and Japan.

“The BBC should adopt the policy they have for the World Service here in the North due to this jurisdiction’s exceptionality and contested history.”

UDR

Mark also said that the poppy has lost any sense of neutrality and is rarely associated here with world war veterans.

“The modern-day unionists here use the poppy to celebrate the B-Specials, the UDR, the RIR, the RUC and even the Prison Service, none of whom had a role to play in either world war,” he said.

“Unionists want to remember these people with fondness and nostalgia, but the reality is quite the opposite. When people in this community think about the British army, we think about the Ballymurphy Massacre, Springhill, the New Lodge and Bloody Sunday, amongst others. The British government’s political and military policy here was to kill and brutalise people. There is no acknowledgement of the detrimental damage the British army caused here in the North, no acknowledgement of the pain, hurt and human rights abuses. So when the BBC institutionalises the poppy, we see it as crass, insensitive and an ongoing insult. They should not persist with this directive of bringing the poppy into the workplace.”

Mark’s comments were echoed by community workers across West Belfast. Michael Culbert of republican ex-prisoners’ group Coiste na n-Iarchimi said the poppy has never really represented those killed in the world wars.

“To my mind the poppy has always been a badge of loyalty to Britain that has been worn exclusively by unionists.To nationalists and republicans it is antagonistic and a sign of British oppression here in Ireland. People are, of course, entitled to wear symbols that they feel honour their dead, but that should not be brought into the workplace. I pay my TV licence to the BBC but I do not want symbols of British oppression rubbed in my face when I am trying to watch the news.”

Jake MacSiacais, Director of Irish language development agency Forbairt Feirste, said the North’s troubled history should mean a greater sense of impartiality at the BBC.

“While people have the right to wear the poppy, it must be remembered that we are a divided society and there is a lot of sensitivity around the issue.

“I am a licence fee payer and I wouldn’t like to think that my money was being used to buy poppies for the BBC.”

A spokesman for BBC NI said there are no plans to change the current policy.

“The BBC's policy for its UK domestic television services remains unchanged. The wearing of a poppy is a matter for individual presenters. In 2009 it was agreed that the period during which poppies could be worn would extend from 24 October until 11 November, inclusive.”

Despite the BBC claim that it is a matter of individual choice, no TV presenters have appeared on air without poppies for a number of years. The Andersonstown News understands that there is an unwritten BBCNI rule that staff declining to wear a poppy are moved to other duties for the duration of the poppy appeal.