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Prince Harry warns of a deeply troubling rise in anti-Semitism in Britain, urging protests to stay separate from hate and calling out all forms of racism.
Prince Harry was referring to the “lethal violence in London and Manchester,” referring to an attack which killed two Jewish worshippers at a Manchester synagogue in October and the stabbing of two Jewish men in broad daylight in north London last month. (AP File)
Days after attacks on Jews in the UK, Prince Harry has warned that Britain is witnessing a “deeply troubling rise in anti-Semitism”.
In an opinion article titled “My fears for a divided kingdom” published on Thursday in British left-wing magazine The New StatesmanPrince Harry urged people to separate their protests against the Israeli government from prejudice towards the Jew community.
Though he did not name Israel in his article, CNN reported that he referred to states whose actions “raise serious questions under international humanitarian law” and acknowledged “images from Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region– of devastated communities and entire neighbourhoods levelled and reduced to rubble – have shaken people to their core”.
Israel launched war in Gaza after Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack in October 2023, prompting worldwide protests. The United Nations had in September last year concluded that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in the enclave.
In April, a fire attempt at Kenton United Synagogue in northwest London was reported. Though no injuries were reported, the incident was part of a series of recent attacks targeting Jewish-linked sites and a Persian-language media outlet critical of Iran.
Before this, there were reports of an attempt to set fire to bottles of liquid outside the former offices of a Jewish charity. Several suspects, from teenagers to people in their 40s, were arrested and charged.
In the recently published article, Prince Harry warned that these “two realities” of protest and prejudice “are being dangerously conflated.”
He was referring to the “lethal violence in London and Manchester,” referring to an attack which killed two Jewish worshippers at a Manchester synagogue in October and the stabbing of two Jewish men in broad daylight in north London last month.
“When anger is turned toward communities – whether Jewish, Muslim, or any other – it ceases to be a call for justice and becomes something far more corrosive,” he wrote.
“We cannot answer injustice with more injustice,” Harry said. “If we do, we don’t end the cycle, we extend it. The only way to break it is to refuse to pass it on. That means being unequivocal: standing against anti-Semitism wherever it appears, while recognising that anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of racism draw from the same well of division.”
CNN quoted Prince Harry emphasising that he was “acutely aware of my own mistakes,” referring to the time he wore a Nazi costume to a costume party in 2005.
London, United Kingdom (UK)
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