Gaza activists have been accused of trying to “hijack” Remembrance Day with the sale of a “Palestine Poppy”.
The accessory is priced at £1.78 on Ebay and is listed as “not for profit”, with money going towards charities in Palestine.
A description says donations will also go towards “organisations working to educate people about the region’s history and current situation and bring about the end to the occupation and war crimes through legal routes”.
Stuart Fawcett, a former Royal Navy officer who is now a Labour councillor for North East Derbyshire District Council, told the Telegraph that the poppy was an attempt to “hijack our national symbol of resistance”.
Shadow Defence Minister David Reed said: “The greatest disrespect we can show to those who sacrificed their lives for us is to turn their remembrance into a political battleground. The fallen deserve our gratitude, not our agendas.
“This must not go unchallenged. I will be making sure to tell anyone I see wearing this badge exactly what I think, and I implore others to do the same.”
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage wrote on X: “These people have no respect for our country.”
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford, a former Army officer and defence analyst, told GB News it was an effort to “ride on the coat-tails of the familiar red poppy.
“The Remembrance poppy is apolitical despite what some people might say, and commemorates our war dead by bringing people together in the act of remembrance.
“The so-called ‘Palestine Poppy’ is about as far away from remembrance as it’s possible to be. It is unashamedly political, designed to divide rather than unite.”
A Royal British Legion spokesperson told the Telegraph: “The Royal British Legion’s two-petal poppy logo is a registered trademark. RBL’s red poppy is a symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.
“Importantly the red poppy raises funds to support our Armed Forces, veterans, and their families whatever the need whenever it is needed.”
Other products for sale by the Palestine Poppy eBay account include a keffiyeh-styled shalwar kameez (traditional South Asian dress) and an Allah poster. The account has sold nearly 2,000 items.
The seller has been contacted by the JC.
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