Prince Harry has described rising antisemitism in Britain as “deeply troubling”, saying that while people are entitled to feel anger over events in the Middle East, there can be no justification for hostility towards individuals or faith communities. In an article for the New Statesman, the Duke of Sussex wrote that Jewish communities are being made to feel unsafe in their own homes.
The prince appeared to make a veiled criticism of the Israeli government, while stressing that legitimate protest should never tip into hatred. He acknowledged that there is “deep and justified alarm at the scale of loss in the Middle East”, but warned that these two realities are being “dangerously conflated”.
Recent data showed that the number of antisemitic hate crimes recorded in London in April was the highest in two years, prompting the Metropolitan Police to deploy 100 extra officers to protect Jewish communities. Among the offences were attempted arson attacks at a synagogue and a charity, as well as a double stabbing that is subject to a terrorism investigation.
Prince Harry also condemned rising Islamophobia, writing that when anger leads to attacks on communities, it ceases to be a call for justice. He acknowledged his own past mistakes, including wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party 20 years ago, and said that experience informs his conviction that clarity matters now more than ever.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, also warned of a “horrifying increase in antisemitic violence” in Britain, saying it is “completely unacceptable” that Jewish communities live in fear. She called on all members of society to oppose antisemitism without hesitation.
