Prince Harry has described the rise in antisemitism across Britain as 'deeply troubling', warning that legitimate protest over events in the Middle East must not tip into hostility towards Jewish communities. In an article for the New Statesman, the Duke of Sussex said that while people are entitled to feel anger, there can be no justification for attacks on individuals or faith groups.
The prince highlighted a recent surge in antisemitic hate crimes, with London recording its highest monthly figure in two years in April. Incidents included attempted arson attacks on a synagogue in Finchley and a former charity premises in Hendon, as well as a stabbing in Golders Green that is being treated as terrorism. The Metropolitan Police has deployed an extra 100 officers to protect Jewish communities.
Acknowledging the 'deep and justified alarm' at the scale of loss in Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region, Prince Harry stressed that 'these two realities are being dangerously conflated'. He noted that legitimate protest against state actions in the Middle East exists alongside hostility toward Jewish communities, while criticism of those actions can be too easily dismissed.
The prince also condemned rising Islamophobia, writing that when anger leads to attacks on communities—'whether Jewish, Muslim, or any other'—it ceases to be a call for justice. Reflecting on his own past mistakes, including wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party, he said he is 'acutely aware' of thoughtless actions for which he has apologised and taken responsibility.
Prince Harry's intervention follows a warning from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, who described a 'horrifying increase in antisemitic violence' in Britain. Speaking at the Sternberg Centre for Judaism, she said it is 'completely unacceptable' that Jewish communities live in fear and called on all of society to oppose hatred without hesitation.
