No national event for Armed Forces Day as councils don’t want to host

Marching band at an Armed Forces Day event in Southend, Essex - Alamy

There will be no national event for Armed Forces Day for the first time as no councils came forward to host the celebration.

It comes as local events to mark the event celebrating the British military on Saturday are facing growing resistance from groups and individuals concerned about its uncritical portrayal of war.

There has been a sharp drop in the overall number of Armed Forces Day events across the country since before the pandemic.

In 2019 there were 316 events listed on the official Armed Forces Day website, compared to only 189 this year.

This is the first time since 2009 that there will be no national event for Armed Forces Day.

According to a Freedom of Information request put to the Ministry of Defence by the non-profit organisation ForcesWatch and the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) pacifist organisation, no local authorities came forward to hold the national event this year. The groups said this was indicative of a lack of interest in funding and hosting such an event.

The FOI response said: “No bids were received from local authorities to hold an Armed Forces Day (AFD) national event for 2024.”

Soldiers march through Falmouth during Armed Forces Day 2023 - Alamy/Kai Greet

Armed Forces Day has faced opposition ever since it began in 2009, in the wake of resistance to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last year, the national event in Falmouth was met with a peace parade through the city. In Leicester, the city council now prevents the Armed Forces from inviting children to handle weapons, following a campaign by local residents.

In previous years, the national event has cost councils hundreds of thousands of pounds to run, while the MoD will spend more than £420,000 on local events to commemorate the occasion.

In the run-up to this year’s event, the PPU and ForcesWatch have reported increased numbers of requests for materials for protests. Postcards saying “War is not family entertainment” have been sent to numerous groups across the UK.

Joe Glenton, a veteran from ForcesWatch, said: “The annual Armed Forces Day was conceived as a response to the post-Iraq and Afghanistan crisis in public opinion. It serves to create acceptance for the use of violent force, and as a tool to recruit the next generation. While supporting individual personnel and veterans is important, this day seeks to put a gloss on military institutions and military action. We hope to see a continued decline in the number of local councils supporting this.”

‘Glaring examples of militarism’

Geoff Tibbs from the PPU said: “At a time when we are seeing schools and hospitals attacked in Gaza and Ukraine, Armed Forces Day events are presenting war as family entertainment. Children are being invited to handle the very kinds of weapons that are killing civilians abroad. We must resist these glaring examples of everyday militarism on our streets.”

In Cambridge this year, residents have organised a peace camp to oppose the city’s first ever event for Armed Forces Day, arguing that it seems “wholly insensitive” to hold a self-described military fair against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.

Further protests are taking place in Leicester, Portsmouth, Leeds, Weymouth and Aldershot.

The Telegraph understands that while no local authority bid to host the national event this year, nearly 200 community events are taking place across the UK, in all four Home Nations.

It is also understood that the MoD provided a full package of Armed Forces Day funding to every community that applied for it to ensure such events were successful.

The MoD has been contacted for comment.

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