THIS WEEK IN 1984: D-Day events under attack by pacifists

Portsmouth D-Day commemorations were condemned as an '˜offensive glorification of killing' by a pacifist group.

By The Newsroom

Published 25th Apr 2018, 07:00 GMT

David Ireland, of Copnor, a member of the Peace Pledge Union, was speaking after attending a city D-Day panel meeting where plans for parades, tree planting, and plays had been discussed.

‘What I find most worrying is the involvement of children in the celebrations – there are 700 taking part in a march.

‘It will give all Portsmouth children completely the wrong impression of what war really is.’

Mr Ireland was also disturbed by the ‘profit motives’ governing the council in its considerations of how much money could be made out of any particular event.

He added: ‘Money should not be made out of the horror of war. Portsmouth is always looking backwards to past glories. Its economy is based on past ideas.’