Military
Clothing in Public Prompts Row
Wearing military clothing in public triggered a heated and public row
as the government hoped the move would bring the military and general
public closer together.
Plans to urge the armed forces, including soldiers, sailors and airmen
to wear military clothing in public triggered a very heated debate in
the UK recently. In March, 2008 an incident was reported where a group
of RAF personnel were ordered to swap their military clothing for civilian
dress after experiencing threats and abuse when wearing their military
clothing off-duty.
Military Clothing: The Off-Duty Row
Anti-war protesters
and civilians were said to target the men and women in military clothing
because of what they saw as their unjust presence
in Iraq. The war in Iraq has proven unpopular in the UK, and many strongly
believe the invasion went against the publics' will. The incidents raised
fears that those wearing military clothing could be targeted and abused – a
fear that put a spanner in the government's plans to urge military personnel
to wear their uniforms when off duty in an attempt to foster better public
relations with the military. A report was handed to Gordon Brown outlining
the belief that if personnel wore military clothing in public when off-duty,
it could help nurture a respect and appreciation for the Armed Forces
in the UK.
Wearing Military Clothing prompts Abuse
Wearing military
clothing off-duty is commonplace in America where patriotism is visible
and palpable. But in the UK the practice of wearing military
uniform in public was banned as a result of the IRA terrorist attacks – it
was feared the military clothing would turn them into obvious targets.
The move to change the ban and introduce military clothing for off-duty
military personnel in the UK was scuppered after the reports of the abuse
against the RAF staff became known. The publics' attitude to the armed
forces has suffered since the invasion of Iraq, and the attempt to bring
military clothing into the public arena was an attempt to improve the
publics' perceptions.
The Right to Wear Military Clothing Defended
But despite
the incident against the RAF personnel, it's thought more attempts to
urge military personnel to wear their military clothing in
public will be made; including recommending that local authorities organise
homecoming parades for units based in their communities serving in Iraq
or other conflict zones. In The Times newspaper, a government advisor
said: “Our Armed Forces should be able to wear their uniforms with
pride and to have the respect of their local communities. If instead
they face abuse and violence, then this must be dealt with by the police
as a matter of urgency.” The Defence Secretary added that the right
for military personnel to wear military clothing in public needed to
be defended: “It is a great shame that some individuals in this
community don’t have respect for our brave Forces, who every day
are doing a great deal for this nation “ The Times reported, “This
is not a situation we should be tolerating.”
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