Alternative Remembrance Sunday 2025: Remembering all victims of war
- Guest author
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Each November, people across the UK gather to remember the human cost of war. For many, the white poppy represents a commitment to honour all victims of war — civilians, soldiers, conscientious objectors — while challenging the growing militarisation of public life.
This year, the National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony formed part of a wider programme of peace events in central London:
National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony (Peace Pledge Union), 12–1pm, Tavistock Square
Remembrance Lecture (Movement for the Abolition of War), 3–4.30pm, Hamilton House
‘Memorial 2025’ Projection (Every Casualty Counts & Quakers in Britain), 5–6pm, Friends House
All three events were within a short walk of each other, creating a meaningful pathway of reflection, remembrance, and public commitment to peace.
A Ceremony Rooted in Conscience
The National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony takes place every year beside the memorial stone dedicated to conscientious objectors in Tavistock Square, Bloomsbury. It offers a space for remembrance free from military symbolism, centred instead on compassion, accountability, and the urgency of building peace.
This year’s ceremony was hosted by Kate Smurthwaite, feminist activist, comedian, and member of the Peace Pledge Union, who set a thoughtful and inclusive tone.
Every Casualty Counts: Restoring humanity to those killed in conflict
The first speaker was Rachel Taylor, Executive Director of Every Casualty Counts (ECC), an international charity dedicated to ensuring that every person killed in armed conflict is properly recognised and recorded.
Rachel introduced Memorial 2025, a new project documenting the lives of people killed in conflicts over the past year. She spoke with clarity and force:
“War dehumanises us all. This dehumanisation can be explicit, through the propaganda of genocide — or it can be technological, with the equipment we have today enabling people to kill others thousands of miles away without ever seeing their faces.”
She explained how casualty recording helps restore humanity to victims of conflict:
“All of them deserve to be known.”
🎥 Watch Rachel Taylor’s address:
🎥 Watch the readings from Memorial 2025
Sir Mark Rylance: A Public Letter of Conscience
Oscar-winning actor, director and long-standing Conscience supporter Sir Mark Rylance delivered his public letter expressing deep concern about the government’s decision to increase UK military spending during a time of escalating global conflict.
He reflected on:
the rights of conscientious objectors
the ethical burden placed on taxpayers
the urgent need to redirect public money towards peacebuilding
and the work of organisations like Conscience
His reading was deeply moving and grounded firmly in the belief that the UK must choose peace over militarism.
White Poppies: A symbol of peace, memory and resistance
The ceremony concluded with two minutes of silence, followed by the laying of white poppy wreaths. After the official wreaths were laid, attendees were invited to place individual white poppies on the memorial stone.
As in previous years, Conscience laid a white poppy wreath, honouring all victims of war and reaffirming our vision of taxes used for peace, not war.
The white poppy represents:
remembrance for all victims of war
a commitment to peace
and a challenge to the idea that war is inevitable
Its meaning was felt clearly throughout the ceremony, as people of all ages placed their flowers in quiet solidarity.
Why alternative Remembrance matters
In a year defined by rising global conflict and increased UK military spending, the need for truthful remembrance is more urgent than ever.
Alternative Remembrance Sunday calls us to confront:
the civilian cost of armed conflict
the moral implications of funding war
the ongoing struggles of conscientious objectors
and the political choices that keep the UK locked into cycles of militarisation
It is a day not only to remember, but to recommit ourselves to peaceful alternatives.
Conscience: Taxes for Peace Not War
Conscience campaigns for a world where taxes fund peace, not war.
We work for:
a progressive increase in UK peacebuilding expenditure
and a legal right for people with a conscientious objection to war to redirect the military part of their taxes to non-military peace work
At events like the Alternative Remembrance Ceremony, we are reminded that we are part of a broad, principled, and compassionate community committed to challenging militarism and building a more peaceful future.
Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, or took part in this year’s ceremony.