LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for greater acknowledgement of the role of black and Asian troops in World War II, ahead of Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
“Volunteers from India, Africa and the Caribbean made an immense contribution to victory,” he said in a message to the Remember Together campaign, co-organized by the Royal British Legion, a charity that helps veterans.
Johnson cited the examples of the British Indian Army — the “largest volunteer force in history” — and the 14th army, which was made up of a majority of Commonwealth troops.
“I am delighted to remember their sacrifice and celebrate their achievement,” he said.
Labour leader Keir Starmer, who has sought to stamp out anti-Semitism in his party, also stressed the commemorations “remember those of every creed and color.”
The party leaders’ comments came ahead of the traditional commemoration ceremonies, for the fallen and veterans of all conflicts since the First World War, which will be reduced in scope due to anti-coronavirus restrictions.
The Remember Together campaign last week released an open letter lamenting that the contributions of black and Asian soldiers in the Second World War “have been forgotten.”
It was signed by figures including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Johnson’s former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, both British-born Asian politicians.
The call to give equal weight to the war role of ethnic minorities comes as the Black Lives Matter campaign has sparked angry protests in Britain and the tearing-down of a statue of a slave trader in the southwestern city of Bristol.
Anti-virus measures have also hit fundraising for military veterans. The Royal British Legion, which runs the annual Poppy Appeal, has warned it risks a shortfall in donations of millions during the two-week drive, its main source of revenue.
A somber wreath-laying ceremony is to go ahead at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London, but there will be no veterans marching or crowds watching.
The annual Festival of Remembrance concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London was recorded without an audience, in advance of broadcast on Saturday.
The concert features Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and Capt. Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old war veteran who raised nearly £33 million ($43 million) for health charities during the first lockdown.
The government said it wanted to keep crowds “to a minimum” at regional events and told organizers to “discourage the public from attending.”
Church services have either been canceled or will be broadcast online.
Remembrance events are held on the second Sunday in November, close to Nov. 11, when the guns fell silent in the First World War.
Poppies have been Britain’s symbol of remembrance since the 1914-1918 war, when the red flowers grew on the otherwise barren battlefields of northern France and Belgium.
The British Legion is encouraging people to display poppies in windows or stand on doorsteps for a two-minute silence on Sunday.
Asked whether veterans could face arrests or fines for attending a memorial service, Johnson’s spokesman acknowledged that the date was of “national significance” but said lockdown “rules are clear.”
The ban on public services was criticized by former Prime Minister Theresa May.
“Surely those men and women who gave down their lives for our freedom deserve better than this?” she said.