Military
Clothing – Pride and Prejudice
The row over whether to wear military clothing in public has raked up
strong feelings of pride and prejudice.
Hot on the heels of the debacle over whether military personnel should
be wearing military clothing off-duty, a university has banned military
recruitment stalls at their freshers' fair. The reports created a stir
in the context of the news that service men and women from RAF Wittering
had been ordered not to wear military clothing in public after prolonged
verbal attacks from members of the public near the military base in Peterborough.
Military Clothing gets Dressing Down
Prime Minister
Gordon Brown was reportedly furious over the decision to bar Army cadets
from the university. But students at University College
London tapped into bigger feelings of discontent across the UK against
personnel in military clothing. The student union banned all military
personnel including cadets, severing links with the Officer Training
Corps and the students' union. The move came soon after the government
had tried to urge military personnel to wear their military clothing
in public to try and encourage regard and respect for the armed forces.
But the students said they were snubbing the British military for waging “an
aggressive war overseas.” The vote meant anyone wearing military
clothing on the campus would inevitably feel unwelcome.
University Challenged
The UK is experiencing an escalating
row over the role of military clothing in public, as the Prime Minister
believes military personnel are not
treated with the pride they deserve. Gordon Brown spoke out about the
treatment of personnel in military clothing, he told the press: “I
condemn absolutely any members of the public who show abuse or discrimination
to our armed forces.”
Military Clothing Debate 'Misguided'
The motion from
the UCL union stated that it wanted to cut links with the British military
who traditionally recruited at the freshers' fair: “...for
the Union to use its resources to encourage students to join the military
or participate in military recruitment activities at this time would
give political and material support to the war,” the motion read.
The fact those wearing military clothing face verbal abuse, alongside
the university's motion is disheartening for the armed forces. Former
army personnel came forward saying those wearing military clothing were
not accountable for the individual politics of a war, but were paid to
fight for freedom and democracy. They said the abuse and move by the
students was 'deeply misguided' and 'insulting'.
Graduates are important to the armed forces; up to half of officers wearing
military clothing are recruited from universities.
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