Nigel Farage ripped the new “black poppy,” after King Charles donned one — invented in 2010 to specifically honor black servicemen killed in the World Wars — calling it “intensely political, totally against the spirit of Armistice Day.”
The Brexit leader, who now has a show on GB News, pointed out that the original, red poppy worn by people in Britain and across the commonwealth to commemorate all those lost in the wars, “is not about class, or race, or rank,” adding that the black poppy is “totally against the spirit of what Armistice Day is all about.”
“Now, you may not have heard of the Black Poppy, or more accurately, the Black Rose Poppy, but have a look at these pictures and we’ll show you what it is … What’s it all about? Well, on the face of it, it’s to honour black servicemen who were killed serving in the wars, who some people believe are underrepresented,” Farage said on his show. “But it also represents black people who fought against the British in a variety of wars and it also represents a demand for reparations.”
“So it is intensely political, totally against the spirit of what Armistice Day, Poppy Day is all about,” he continued.
NEW MALDEN, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 08: King Charles III during his visit to a Korean Community at New Malden Methodist Church on November 08, 2023 in New Malden, England. The King visited the community ahead of the State Visit by The President of the Republic of Korea and the First Lady later this month. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
After King Charles was seen wearing a black poppy on his lapel last week in the run up to Armistice Day, Farage took a swipe at whichever of the King’s aides recommended he wear it, saying it was a “terrible mistake” and calling for the aide to be dismissed.
“I’m very sad to say that on a visit yesterday to Surrey, our king, King Charles, wore one of these black poppies,” Farage said. “Whoever advised the king to wear that black poppy should be sacked from Buckingham Palace and out of their job by tomorrow morning. It is a terrible thing to get the monarch to do.”
“The whole point of wearing the poppy, the whole point of the cenotaph, is that it’s not about class or race or rank or what medals you won,” Farage continued. “It treats everybody absolutely the same and that’s the way that it simply has to stay.”
