Prince William is facing backlash, following a Ukrainian community event where he was partially misquoted.
Prince William was slammed by Martin Luther King Jr.‘s daughter, Bernice King, on March 10 after he was accused of making “horrific comments” about Ukraine. It was during a Ukrainian community event, when William and Kate Middleton visited the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to support the relief effort on March 9. While there, he said, “Everyone is horrified by what they are seeing. The news every day, it’s almost unfathomable to actually witness it, to see it. For our generation, it’s very alien to see this in Europe. We’re all right behind you.”
But the Press Association originally reported that William also suggested Britains were more used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia. However, ITV released footage of his full comments, and it didn’t appear that he referenced the two continents. But even so, William still found himself in hot water over his reference to war in Europe feeling “very alien.”
Bernice King, who is the chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, clapped back at the prince after seeing the original, misleading quote.
“Horrific comment. European people ran roughshod over the continent of Africa, pillaging communities, raping women, enslaving human beings, colonizing for profit and power, stealing resources, causing generational devastation. And European nations continue to harm Africa,” she wrote on Twitter.
I believe that we have a great deal of work to do globally to eradicate what my father called the Triple Evils of Militarism, Racism and Poverty.
I believe that language matters in that work. And that it is harmful for a global figure to express war as “alien to Europe.”
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 10, 2022
Then, after the new footage emerged, she wrote, “I believe that we have a great deal of work to do globally to eradicate what my father called the Triple Evils of Militarism, Racism and Poverty. I believe that language matters in that work. And that it is harmful for a global figure to express war as ‘alien to Europe.’”
During a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre yesterday, Prince William said: “Everyone is horrified by what they are seeing. The news every day, it’s almost unfathomable. For our generation, it’s very alien to see this in Europe. We’re all right behind you.” Watch here👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/kQFbcivgvK
— Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) March 10, 2022
Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who is a prominent commentator on race in Britain, told Newsweek that Prince William’s comments about war in Europe feeling “alien” were offensive on their own — it didn’t matter whether or not he referenced Africa and Asia. “William says it’s alien in Europe. This is on the back of two weeks of western media also saying it’s alien in Europe, also saying Western countries are civilized. I’m sorry, if it’s alien in Europe, where is he referring to it as being normal?” she said.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Prince William has faced backlash for comments he’s made. Iin a November speech, he linked the pressure on wildlife in Africa to the human population, saying, “The increasing pressure on Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces as a result of human population presents a huge challenge for conservationists, as it does the world over.”