Prince Harry takes a stand on the rise of anti-Semitism in Britain.
An article written by Prince Harry was published in The New Statesman. PDO
Prince Harry has written a rare piece of writing The New Statesman -magazine, where he takes a stand on the increase of anti-Semitism in Great Britain.
In the article, he expresses that he is deeply concerned about the spread of extremism and says that he feels it is his duty to speak about the topic, because he thinks that staying silent allows hatred and extremism to spread without counterforces.
In his writing, Harry refers to recent violent crimes against the Jewish community in Manchester and London.
He also addresses concerns about the situation in Gaza and Lebanon, but stresses that people need to be more specific about where they direct their anger.
– We have seen how legitimate protest directed against the actions of Middle Eastern states coexists with hostility towards domestic Jewish communities – just as we have also seen how criticism of these actions can be too easily ignored or mislabeled, he writes.
– Nothing, not even criticism of the government’s actions or the reality of violence and destruction, justifies hostility towards an entire nation or religion.
Learned from his past mistakes
Harry states in his writing that he has learned from his “past mistakes”. By this he refers to the commotion that arose in 2005, where the young prince made headlines after arriving at his friend’s masquerade party dressed as a Nazi soldier.
The uproar raged especially after The Sun published on its front page a picture of Harry holding a cigarette and a drinking glass, with a swastika visible on his arm. The then 20-year-old Harry issued a public apology soon after the incident.
Cropped image and headline in The Sun magazine in 2005. PDO
Harry admits in the article that the need to speak, demonstrate and demand an end to suffering is humane and necessary, but emphasizes that the responsibility is clearly directed at the state, not an entire nation.
– We cannot ignore the difficult truth: when states act without taking responsibility and in ways that raise serious questions from the point of view of international humanitarian law, criticism is not only justified but also a necessary and essential part of democracy, the prince writes.
– The consequences are not limited to the internal borders of the states. They are reflected more widely, shape perceptions and exacerbate tensions.
Harry ends his writing with a plea for unity:
– When hatred is directed at communities – be they Jewish, Muslim or whatever – it ceases to be a demand for justice and turns into something much more destructive and corrosive.
Sources: Mirror, The New Statesman.
