Exactly. Some would've complained (just like they did with Tristan ) if he wasn't wearing one. Can these pro liveeeeeeee 😒😒 ?

I think its up to the individual to decide. Giovani wants to wear one theres no problem, I wear one. Interesting how few younger people wear one these days though, in college we don't even do the moment of reflection which I disagree with but there we go

Why not go white poppy. White poppy represents all the war dead, on all sides, civilian as well as military. Including the folk killed in their houses and schools by Saudi bombs built by.... heck.

Blaming Germany is a bit out of date

The Poppy itself commemorates all war dead including civilians and all nationalities. The White poppy is a political statement rather than a commemorative symbol. That is why I did not have any respect for the Irish dancer who did not wear a Poppy, it showed disrespect to the many Irish soldiers who died in both World Wars - some having to serve under aliases because of hostility in Ireland and even support for the Nazis.

I wear a poppy -- to commemorate those who died in the wars and thank them. I'm an immigrant and I feel that if it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be enjoying life here in the UK.

No poppy-shaming, please!

I have seen people on BBC not wearing a Poppy which shows that is incorrect. I think they make them available to people but it is the person's own choice whether or not wear one. They have them available early because many programmes are recorded in advance when people might not have started to wear their Poppy.

His name was Tristan and it showed no such thing . He has a choice whether he rembers the dead in his way or wears a poppy to let the rest of us know
Why do you need to be reassured that Tristan is remembering the dead ? Then the poppy is only an outward symbol and doesnt make your remembering any more valid .

I confess that I wondered about this last year. It seemed a bit odd to me but no big deal I suppose. I support the poppy appeal but I don't like the way that anyone on TV who doesn't wear a poppy from the 1st of November (it seems like) is criticised. I'm sure it results in runners randomly pinning them on everyone in shot ,which is a bit daft IMO.

I work for another charity and I had a discussion this week with someone there as to why we couldn't sell poppies on the premises. I explained that we can't because of charity rules that we can only collect for our charity. She argued that 'poppies are different' and I think that that attitude, whether you agree or not, prevails over a lot of people.

Bib it did no such thing..

The fact you think it should be enforced is ridiculous

It gets a bit meaningless when the TV companies insist on pinning a poppy to anything which breathes. Its a matter of choice if you wear one or not. I do,I would also like to wear a white one alongside it to show the futility of war and that I remember all those men,women and children who die needlessly in wars.I can't wear one because I get called names and told I am denigrating all our troops

On the other hand, do we need to pin a bit of coloured paper to ourselves to remember what so many sacrificed?

By the way: I was a QA army nurse for 10yrsand saw the results of war first hand.

The responses have been interesting reading. I personally don't wear a poppy, but I do of course observe the silence and give money to the poppy fund. I do wonder whether there would be a reaction if a German or Japanese dancer on Strictly chose to wear or not wear a poppy. My perception is that British people don't perceive Italy as culpable in World War 2 as Germany and Japan.

The poppy is a symbol of remembrance and hope. Nationality shouldn't come in to it.

Wearing a poppy should always be personal choice. It is meaningless if made compulsory.

Quite. It's so much bollocks as well. Who is really 'remembering the dead' by wearing a poppy -- Jesus, the pictures of mutilated and burned people in Yemen -- whilst shouting Ooooh Aaaah etc on Strictly.

I'd think more generously of our collective response to the war dead if the UK wasn't a major exporter of arms. Exactly who or what is driving the world's instability?

I choose to wear a poppy but respect the decision of those who do not

My grandad lost 4 brothers in World War 1 and I attended memorial services with him for many years -war is such a waste

respected Tristan for not wearing one last year many Irish refuse to do so and frankly with the reasons behind it I totally understand

I see loads of youngsters wearing them but not as pins as rubber band ones or slap bands on their wrists, both my kids have the slap band version this year and I have the rubber band type one.

There was a good episode of Casualty two years ago (broadcast on the weekend closest to remembrance day) which covered the whole 'refusing to wear a poppy' thing (male nurse refuses to buy/wear one). It was a pleasant surprise that a) it was a likable character who was chosen to be the 'anti poppy' person and b) it was sympathetically done.

With regards to Giovanni wearing a poppy, it was probably because he had nothing against wearing one, so he was fine with it, even if it wasn't a tradition in his home country. With Tristan it was different, because he obviously did have an issue with wearing a poppy, so didn't wear one.

I know someone who has served and does not wear a poppy - although donates both time and money freely. Someone more respectful of people he actually knew you couldn't wish to meet, but he doesn't need a poppy to remember them, or just remember once a year. I'm not going to be the one to tell him he's wrong.

The red poppy is as much of a political statement as the white on tbh.

I wear a white poppy but donate to the red poppy collectors if I see them in the street.

Here's a thought: instead of being pious about poppies, why don't we press for our government to take care of soldiers returning from conflicts with disfiguring or life-changing injuries, or with deep mental scars? That would be a sign of caring. So many are homeless and forgotten or struggling with substance abuse.

And let's find a better use for industry than arms manufacturing.

PS for clarity... I didn't mean you were being pious about poppies!

There were 17 Italian soldiers killed in a bombing in Irag and 9 in Afghanistan. Perhaps he feels this is his way of honouring them?

He wore a poppy last year as well - well, until it flew off in his Samba with Georgia

Giovanni wore a poppy last year whilst dancing a samba to the gypsy kings

ETA Snap! ^^

I doubt he thoght about it as much as people on this thread have. He would have been given a poppy or had one pinned onto his costume, and he didn't feel strongly enough about it to decline to wear it as Tristan did last year.

Damned either way, really. It's either "Johnny Foreigner, coming over here, wearing our poppy", or "disrespectful Johnny Foreigner, NOT wearing our poppy".

I really dislike the practically compulsory wearing of the poppy on the Beeb

I choose not to wear a red poppy. Occasionally I will wear a white one. I have many reasons, one major one being the British legion's own statement from their website " The Legion advocates a specific type of Remembrance connected to the British Armed Forces, those who were killed, those who fought with them and alongside them."

I do not agree with this selective remembrance and cannot in good conscience support it. I believe we should remember all nationalities, civilians and concisentiois objectors- many of whom were executed as traitors.

I find it far more disgusting that newspapers who will harass any public figure not wearing a poppy and who will proudly splash a poppy on thier masthead run prejudiced stories, with little basis in fact, demonising and inciting hatred towards children fleeing war on the same front page. That will publish comments that celebrate the deaths of innocent people (Katie Hopkins anyone?). Never forget the Daily Mail supported Hitler and British fascists and afaik has never apologised for doing so.

If this is 'disrespectful' then yes I'm disrespectful. I refuse to respect such a system and it's ideologies. I feel the best way to honour those whose lives were stolen by war is to work towards peace and to support all those currently affected by war.

What complete rubbish.