Armed Forces Day took place in Falmouth, Cornwall on 24th June 2023. CAAT, alongside national and local groups, including the Peace Pledge Union, Forces Watch, Demilitarise Education, Cornwall Resists and local and national Quakers, were on the streets to show that people were not prepared to stand by and let the military take over the streets of Falmouth.
A large part of the event was focussed on recruiting children, with a whole day devoted to schools with every school in Cornwall invited to attend. Primary aged children were invited to handle guns and climb on tanks. The UK is the only country in Europe that recruits children to the military, and it specifically targets deprived areas, such as Cornwall, one of the most deprived regions in Europe.
Cornwall Council, meanwhile, spent over £600,000 on the event. As local campaigners pointed out, this colossal waste of money took place at a time when local services have been cut to the bone. And despite promises that thousands of people would visit, the view from the ground was that nowhere near the numbers predicted attended. Locals reported that the Sea Shanty festival the weekend before was much busier and well attended.
On the day, Quakers held a powerful silent vigil as the parade started forming, and then joined with local people to march behind the parade and present an alternative to war and militarism. Despite some boos and hostility from the crowd, many people were able to have productive conversations, and present both the facts about military life and the lies that were being told about the day. Amazing banners were displayed in the middle of town through most of the day, ensuring everyone who walked past knew there was an alternative.
