Daniel Lenham; ‘We are here today in protest at the decision to bomb in Syria and to return medals given to us for our participation in previous attacks on the Middle East.’
Kirk Sollitt; ‘These medals were given to me for my service in the military, which is controlled by the Government, who last week have voted for, and joined in the bombing of Syria. Innocent, vulnerable sentient beings are being killed, men, woman and children. You cannot sow bloodshed and reap peace. I no longer require these these medals.’
[Kirk Sollitt discarded his N Ireland GSM and Gulf War medals].
Phil Mace; ‘I don’t understand what these medals are for or what they are supposed to mean. I joined the army as a teenager hoping to better myself and I believe I did that whilst on operations in Afghanistan. One day whilst out on patrol I was asked to blow a hole in a building, not knowing what was on the other side. I thought to myself What if? What if it is a baby? What if it’s with its mother? What if it’s there with the whole family? I would much rather live my life not having to deal with the consequences of What If. That is why I throw these medals back. What if every soldier past and present did this?’
[Phil Mace discarded his Afghanistan OSM, NATO IASF and Queens Diamond Jubilee medals.]
Dave Smith; ‘My name is Ben Griffin but I am here today in place of our fellow veteran Dave Smith. Dave was disabled during his service in the Army he has asked me to come here today to discard his medals and read this statement. “As a past member of the British Armed Forces, like others who are stood here today. I would like to express my utter disgust at the Governments decision to bomb yet another middle eastern Country, namely Syria. I have come to realise the only beneficiaries of war and armed conflict are the arms manufacturers, large corporations, and banking elites. I therefore return my medals as a mark of protest, along with those of my father who was like minded. My prayers are for all those who will suffer as a result of the bombing, war solves nothing, I reject the notion completely. My dad Morris served in Palestine, Malaya and Cyprus. He felt guilt every time he saw anything on the news about the conflict in Palestine, he would turn the TV off.. He never got over his experience of war, I am returning his medals also.”
[Dave Smith discarded his N Ireland GSM, UN Cyprus and Queens Silver Jubilee medals. Dave also discarded the medal of his Dad Morris Smith, a GSM with bars for Palestine, Malaya and Cyprus.]
Daniel Lenham; “My name’s Daniel Lenham, I served in the Royal Air Force between 2002 and 2014. I am here to relinquish these tokens of militarism. This is the token I received for the occupation and invasion of Iraq. This is the medal I received for the destruction and devastation of Libya. I’m here today to show my utter contempt and disgust at the government’s decision to once again, attack in the Middle East. I can think of no better way of doing that than by relinquishing these tokens of militarism. If you look close enough at these medals, you can see the reflections of dead Iraqis, you can see the embers of Libya and you can see the faces of the men and women of the British Armed Forces who didn’t return and also those who did so with lost limbs and shattered souls. I no longer require these medals.
We are Veterans For Peace, our have members have served in every war that Britain has fought since WW2. We bring you the simple message that war is not the answer to the problems of the 21st Century.
Veterans For Peace UK 
To understand WAR or as the GOVERNMENT calls CONFLICT. This is a MILITARY/GOVERNMENT TACTIC TO CONFUSE THE MASSES. To UNDERSTAND war you have to have knowledge and CRITICAL THINKING.
PART ONE, If you ever get LOST or CONFUSED LISTEN and WATCH.
THIS IS A REASON TO GO TO CONFLICT OR WAR.
PART 2 ALWAYS WATCH AND LISTEN TO VETERANS FOR PEACE AND RT NEWS the REAL NEWS
MUSLIMS DO NOT ATTACK OR KILL YOU SLIT YOUR THROAT OR JUST F*CK YOU UP!
When Saddam was hanged he asked WHY ARE DOING THIS? because if he was alive ALL OF THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
He said to the WORLD “YOU ARE OPENING THE GATES OF HELL!”
DID YOU HEAR HIM? NO-BECAUSE OF MILITARY TACTICS. Having Troops on the ground brings THE NEWS THE REAL NEWS.
RT RUSSIA KNOWS THIS THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PUSH THE BUTTON nor WILL THE usa.
ISIS=ISRAEL SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE+USA+SAUDI ARABIA+smaller RICH VERY RICH gulf states.
ISIL=ISRAEL SECRET INTELLIGENT what does the “L” stand for?=LOSER#
remember to understand you have to have critical thinking! MILITARY TACTICS CONFUSE THE MASSES.
you will be HEARING a lot more DEASH if you watch the RT NEWS and LISTEN to veterans for PEACE.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2014/11/turkey-isis-becomes-deash-erdogan.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra
Veterans for Peace Team your amazing example, your amazing work is an inspiration to all of us.
With love and hope
Elsa Collins, Alan Collins and Family
I leearned about this on Russia Today and came to your web site. I am very pleased to learn that this organisation exists. For a long time I have known that what we are told in the news are lies and propaganda. I am just a simple caring civilian but cannot be fooled easily. Having read about the atrocities in Vietnam and the realities which were exposed later made me very distrustful of our governments.
I was going to be a fighter pilot recruited from school, but my mother told me that they would make me kill innocent people, which stuck with me. Initially I had argued fiercly with her.
Now, I have sleepless nights when I hear about our raids and the cries of innocent children.
I am hooked on MASH 4077 for its humour and message, so relavent even today.
What you all have done is brilliant, but the public still don’t tget the message. We have to show them the brutallity of war and expose media lies again and again.
Looking at the revelations of other soldiers from many wars, you all seem to have the same thing in common, guts and integrity to expose the truth.
Bless you all.
Dear Gentlemen and ladies that walk amongst you.
You are true defenders of the realm,You are true warriors in heart and soul. When you chose to become warriors of the different breeds that span our services, You did not choose to go on wars, to satisfy the bank accounts of the political and military prostitutes from the US and UK of whom sleep very well with the bloody Saudis.
You did not join the finest armed service on this planet to be used, in order to plunder and kill innocence. The real exremists and criminals that You should have been targetting, were protected by our politicians and military command. Thats the part that bites many soldiers whom left the services for the private sector.
You the Veterans For Peace have formed at the right time, and with each angel by your side, You may be responsible for decreasing the radicalisation amongst british communities, which was designed to be blamed on mass immigration.
You are still warriors, defenders and true peacekeepers.
KEEP CALM AMD CARRY ON
Well said Guys,
I chuckle when I read trolls (77th Brigade) saying that “They are not real soldiers?” or
“They picked the medals back up after the demo?”
These remarks merely show people how desperate certain organisations and individuals are to silence any resistance to the governments War Criminals agenda to fuel more death and destruction.
These brothers are 100% the real deal, and speak the truth.
Before anyone criticises any of the Veterans I, like I have been doing have been telling many people to stop, sit down for half an hour and watch my videos, then talk to me about how “good it is” to support these Government “Criminals” with their past record of crimes against humanity and their “Bombing Campaigns”
I like the men in this film have handed my medals back to the government in my disgust at the Lies and human suffering that these cowards in government have committed to millions of families throughout the world.
I`m proud of what these guys have done, and proud to be a member of VFP.
Peace and Love
Kenny Williams Veterans For Peace UK
Could you let me know the next event please. Thankyou
All of the veterans who attended the protest have supplied proof of service.
All of the medals are genuine, not copies.
The medals were left where they landed, no member of VFP picked them afterwards.
This also stands for the medal protest in July, those medals were left where they landed. The police eventually picked them up.
No member of VFP has asked for or accepted the return of any medal.