Besides the pain and angst, the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has unveiled a very racist and despicable attitude from European and other privileged countries. Several media outlets have been called out after declarations claiming that armed conflicts are not of civilized countries and that seeing “white Christian people with blond hair and blue eyes” is simply painful. Well, racism doesn’t only come from media, and even after seeing the backlash these types of comments have sparked, Prince William, heir to the throne of England, didn’t bat an eye to replicate it.
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A couple of months after saying that “we are very much not a racist family,” Prince William declared in a meeting with volunteers at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London that “it’s very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you, we feel so useless.”
Let’s leave aside for a moment the fact that it was his great “alien” country the one responsible for some of the most violent wars in history and all the horrors that countries in Africa and Asia endured during centuries of colonial rule under his family’s leadership, wasn’t he and his brother champions on helping and bringing visibility to Africa?
While many media outlets have tried to justify the racist remarks made by the second in line to the throne, deeming them as ignorance, it is clear that this isn’t anything else than privilege speaking. His statement implies that war is unique to third-world countries as if Europe hadn’t been responsible for them. And even considering that, it’s still not even true! In the past century, Europe has been the setting of real massacres and carnages besides the two WW.
The Balkans, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, does that ring a bell? The fact that William and many other Europeans are blatantly ignoring all these facts and assuming conflict is inherent to third-world nations proves that their speeches of inclusiveness and anti-discrimination aren’t but mere accessories.
Many might think that these remarks made by Prince William are nothing but ‘unfortunate,’ but we’re talking about a powerful man that sooner rather than later (if we’re being honest) will be head of one of the most influential nations in the world. If he had once represented hope and modernity in a government style that’s way outdated like the monarchy, showing sentiments and opinions like this only prove he’s just like the rest of his folk, privileged people that are standing where they are because of the crimes committed by their family, and who aren’t willing to recognize it and actually do something to mend it.
This goes not only for William, which by the way this isn’t the very first time he’s been racist (remember that photo in Africa where he’s been literally carried on by locals?) but the entire family. The disguise of the humanitarian folk worrying about the problems of the world inside the walls of their castles and palaces must change now. They’re in a position of great power and with that, should come to a greater responsibility (yes, like in Spider-Man) to actually become agents of change for a better world. And, if you’re not going to do it, at least zip it and don’t present yourself as a savior.