'We cannot ignore the truth': Prince Harry issues warning over 'deeply troubling' news in new essay
The Duke of Sussex has made an appeal in a new articleIn a new essay, Prince Harry has spoken out against the “deeply troubling” rising tide of antisemitism.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, warned that this has led to “lethal violence” against the Jewish community.
Harry’s words come after a string of attacks at synagogues and other Jewish sites over the last few months.
At the end of April, two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London.
Prince Harry writes essay on rise of antisemitism
In the essay for The New Statesman, titled “my fears for a divided kingdom”, the duke said “hatred directed at people for who they are, or what they believe, is not protest. It is prejudice”.
He continued: “We have seen how legitimate protest against state actions in the Middle East does exist alongside hostility toward Jewish communities at home, just as we have also seen how criticism of those actions can be too easily dismissed or mischaracterised. Nothing, whether criticism of a government or the reality of violence and destruction, can ever justify hostility toward an entire people or faith.”
Prince Harry also said there’s “deep and justified alarm” at the scale of loss in Gaza and Lebanon. However, he said people must be more “clear” about who their anger is directed at.
‘We cannot ignore the truth’
In his piece, Harry referenced the actions of “the state” throughout. However, he did not name Israel in the article.
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The duke continued: “We cannot ignore a difficult truth: when states act without accountability, and in ways that raise serious questions under international humanitarian law – criticism is both legitimate, necessary and essential in any democracy. The consequences do not remain contained within borders. They reverberate outward, shaping perception, inflaming tensions.”
Harry appeared to reference the Nazi costume scandal he found himself at the centre of in 2005.
Thoughtless actions for which I have apologised, taken responsibility and learnt from.
At the time, a 20-year-old Harry sparked backlash after wearing a Nazi uniform as a costume at a fancy dress party. After being snapped in the costume, someone sold the photo to the papers after secretly taking it at the bash. It ended up as front-page news across the world.
Harry previously called the decision to wear the costume “one of the biggest mistakes” of his life.
Writing in his latest essay, Harry appeared to reference the scandal.
Prince Harry ‘acutely aware of past mistakes’
He said: “I am acutely aware of my own past mistakes. Thoughtless actions for which I have apologised, taken responsibility and learnt from. That experience informs my conviction that clarity matters now more than ever, at a time when confusion and the distortion of truth are doing real harm, even when speaking plainly is not without consequence. It requires responsibility from all of us.”
Concluding his piece, Harry appealed for “unity”. He said: “When anger is turned towards communities, whether Jewish, Muslim, or any other, it ceases to be a call for justice and becomes something far more corrosive.”
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