Armistice Day

As an army band played the Last Post, peace activists stood silently, wearing small placards, warning of militarism and war. Jim McIlroy reports.

Peace activists organised a vigil outside the official Armistice Day ceremony on November 11, reports Nick Deane.

The 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, November 11, was commemorated in Sydney with a series of events highlighting the struggles of the peace movement over the past century.

Armistice Day marks the date of the ceasefire between the opposing imperialist powers that officially ended World War I.

By calling Armistice Day on November 11 “Remembrance Day” we miss the point. The original Armistice Day in 1918 was a day of joy, celebrating the end of a hugely bloody war. As one newspaper at the time described it: “Whole country goes wild with joy at news of peace”.