The Seriousness of Symbols
I just ran across this article in today's Scotsman . Apparently a pantomine in Glasgow was told by the British Red Cross that the production had broken the Geneva Convention. In this rendition of Robin Hood, the costume for a nurse character had a red cross on it. Harmless, one would think, but that is not the case according to the British Red Cross. The theatre was sent a letter informing them that they had broken the Geneva Convention on the use of the red cross and that they could face legal action. Included with the letter was "a three-page document from an extract from the Geneva Convention and it also contained a booklet that said it was a criminal offence" to use the red cross symbol in such a way. I agree with the general manager of the theatre that it was "a wee bit heavy-handed", but what interests me are the statements by the British Red Cross. In their opinion, any use of a red cross other than by the wounded or those helping the wounded in a con...