The Hashtag #PrinceWilliamIsARacist Is Trending For A Comment He Made While Visiting The Ukrainian Cultural Centre
Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the Ukrainian Cultural Centre yesterday in London to show support for Ukrainian refugees and those who are affected by the Russia invasion.
Both of the royals are in outspoken support of Ukrainian citizens; they each wore blue and yellow Ukrainian flag pins and brought homemade treats from Kensington Palace for the volunteers. As Prince William was speaking to people at the Centre, he made a comment that has now gone viral online.
People Are Calling Prince William Racist For a Comment He Made About Ukraine
It's clear that the two came in peace and they were very sympathetic to the suffering that Ukrainians were experiencing. "It's very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you," the Prince said to the volunteers.
Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, and he is now being blasted for it. The hashtag #PrinceWilliamIsARacist is now trending on Twitter. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, Bernice King, who is also the chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, retweeted his comment and responded scathingly.
"Horrific comment," she wrote. "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." The tweet has since been deleted.
Commentator Shola Mos-Shogbamimu told Newsweek that Prince William's comment was offensive. "William says it's alien in Europe," she said. "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?"
Others have chimed in on Twitter.
Was Prince William's comment out of touch and maybe a little uninformed? Sure. But it seems extreme at best to immediately jump to "Prince William is a racist." It's not surprising to witness this leap, though, considering how much people make a habit out of publicly accusing others of being racist.