People who refuse to wear the poppy are ‘morally bankrupt’, says Falklands hero Simon Weston

PEOPLE who refuse to wear the red poppy as they believe it glorifies conflict only need to look at my appearance to see that there is nothing glamorous about war.

They are hijacking a campaign that helps families of the injured and the dead, one that raises funds to look after those who served.

Young people might choose to believe in something different, but the only reason they have that choice is because of sacrifices made by others - and they must respect that.

We have seen things we'd rather not but we did it in our sincere belief that we would bring about change and a greater peace.

It is vital that they respect, understand and acknowledge those who have made those sacrifices – and they must never believe that taking a morally bankrupt stand on what the red poppy is about is correct.

They must respect the choices made by the people who are brave enough, courageous enough and have the moral strength to stand up for the weak and those who are subjugated.

We need to people willing to make the ultimate sacrifice or else it is far too easy for the major aggressors of this planet to win, and this is what the red poppy represents.

We stopped the greater aggressor 70 years ago. We stopped the greater aggressor over 100 years ago.

We stopped the whole of Europe and parts of the world from being overrun by an aggressor who hated people on religious grounds, who hated people on ethnic grounds, sexual grounds.

There was a greater evil on the planet then, but we see it returning now with what's going on in the Middle East.

The Nazis and Isis might appear to follow different ideologies, but they have the same goal.

They want to eliminate people; they want to eradicate people and to ethnically cleanse. They want everybody to be subjugated to their desires, beliefs and law.

That cannot happen.

We can't let them win and we won't let them win.

ISIS still perpetrates, indoctrinates and encourages people to do terrible things globally, not just in Britain.

We need to stop evil at every corner and that can't be done with a pen.

The armed forces are the last resort and people who think not supporting them will win them some fast track to heaven or some sort of sainthood are sadly misled.

None of the people who were killed in the Manchester Arena bombing were service people.

Not one of them had ever worn the uniform or picked up a weapon to defend someone else, and yet they were slaughtered by somebody who had nothing more than an ideology.

The red poppies aren’t just to commemorate British war dead.

Wearing one also respects and remembers the Germans who died in the First World War along with the French, the British, the Dutch, the South Africans, the West Indians, the Indians, the Sikhs, the Australians and New Zealanders.

Wearing one provides financial, physical, medical and emotional support to those who are unable to do so for themselves - not everyone who comes out of the armed services is able to support themselves.

People who want to try and say that they are for peace and peace only, are misrepresenting the whole situation.

There is no one more desiring of peace than those who have been shot at; those who have been blown up – people like me.

I believe myself to be somewhat of a pacifist but to be a true pacifist you have to be prepared to die for peace.

Freedom, liberty, the right to self-determination, democracy: These are the cornerstones of our civilisation and we must fight for them.

The red poppy is a perfect symbol of that.