Prince Charles has made some incredibly big comments on a recent episode of BBC’s Radio 4 program, ‘Thought of the Day‘.
In the 4-minute segment, the Prince of Wales speaks about global attitudes toward immigrants, and the Islamophobic attitudes. He speaks about similar attitudes being popular in the 1930s, and expresses concern about the world not learning from the unspeakable tragedies of the Holocaust.
“We are now seeing the rise of many populist groups across the world that are increasingly aggressive towards those who adhere to a minority faith.All of this has deeply disturbing echoes of the dark days of the 1930s.I was born in 1948 – just after the end of World War II in which my parents’ generation had fought, and died, in a battle against intolerance, monstrous extremism and an inhumane attempt to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe.That, nearly 70 years later, we should still be seeing such evil persecution is, to me, beyond all belief. We owe it to those who suffered and died so horribly not to repeat the horrors of the past.”
Charles also likens the plight of modern-day refugees to that of Mary and Joseph fleeing in the story of the Nativity, calling for people to consider this over Christmas:
“Normally, at Christmas, we think of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.I wonder, though, if this year we might remember how the story of the Nativity unfolds – with the fleeing of the Holy Family to escape violent persecution.”
Charles makes these statements mere months after the Brexit referendum, which saw a large amount of anti-migrant slogans and imagery in the winning campaign to leave the European Union.
While his opinion is not particularly outlandish, the fact that a Royal said it post-Brexit, and on a public broadcaster, is huge, and immediately received backlash from UK politicians.
UKIP member of the European parliament Gerard Batten said that Prince Charles was wrong to speak against the popular view of the United Kingdom‘s citizens:
“It is unwarranted and unwise for the heir to a hereditary monarchy to criticise democratic politicians whose policies are popular with the general public.Instead of seeing non-existent phantoms for the 1930s, Prince Charles should recognise that the biggest threat to our liberal democracy is Islamo-fascism.The pawns of Islamo-facism drive lorries into peaceful crowds, blow up innocent people on their way to work, and perpetrate the sexual abuse of non-Muslim girls on an industrial scale.”
To read Prince Charles’ entire 4-minute segment, head here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04m6l3z
Source: BBC Radio 4.
Photo: Max Mumby / Getty.
