Prince William on Thursday condemned the increase in hate crimes against Jews in the United Kingdom since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, during a visit to a synagogue in London.
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In particular, the Prince of Wales met representatives of Jewish students in the United Kingdom at the Western Marble Arch synagogue, who spoke of a “climate of fear” on certain British campuses since the Hamas attack.
“Kate (his wife, editor's note) and I are very concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism that you mentioned this morning, and I am sorry that you have to experience it,” he emphasized.
The heir to the throne also spoke to Holocaust survivor Renee Salt, 94, who expressed concern that “some young people don't believe it really happened.” “I’m here today to assure you that people care,” he replied.
Since October 7th there has been a sharp increase in the number of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic acts on British soil.
On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the Community Security Trust (CST), whose mission is to protect the Jewish community, would receive an additional £54 million (€63 million) over the next four years to help schools or synagogues to back up.
Last week, the heir to the British throne called for an “as quickly as possible end to the fighting” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, saying there had been “too many deaths” and that he was changing from the restraint normally imposed by the British royal family.
The war was sparked by an unprecedented attack on October 7 by Hamas commandos who invaded southern Israel. More than 1,160 people were killed, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.
In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive that left more than 30,000 dead in the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
The visit is one of the crown prince's rare appearances since the start of the recovery of his wife Kate, who has given up her commitments since announcing abdominal surgery in mid-January.
On Tuesday, William gave up at the last moment from attending a ceremony to commemorate his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, at Windsor Castle for “personal reasons,” without the palace providing further details.