The Duke of Sussex has spoken out about the “deeply troubling” rise in antisemitism in the UK.
Harry stressed the importance of “legitimate protest”, adding that he felt compelled to speak out because in his view standing on the sidelines allows “hate and extremism to flourish unchecked”.
, he referenced recent “lethal violence” against the Jewish community in Manchester and in London and said that “hatred directed at people for who they are, or what they believe, is not protest. It is prejudice”.
Harry also wrote about the “deep and justified alarm” at the scale of loss in Gaza and Lebanon but argued people must be more “clear” about where their anger is directed.
The duke wrote: “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.”
The piece is critical of the lack of nuance in much of the media discourse in the wake of the recent spate of antisemitic attacks in the UK.
The duke bemoans how polarised public debate has become, and said it deepens the confusion that “fuels division”.
Harry acknowledged that the instinct to speak out, march and call for an end to suffering was “human and necessary” but that people must be clear that the “onus falls squarely on the state – not an entire people”.
While he references the actions of “the state” throughout the article, he at no point names Israel.
Harry wrote: “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.”
With PA