Caribbean commonwealth countries urged to speak out on British press attack on the Duchess of Sussex

BY SYDNEE WALCOTT

Since her relationship with Prince Harry was made public, Meghan Markle has been subjected to many racist attacks by the press. With the most recent attacks on the Duchess of Sussex, many say it is important more than ever now to take a stand.

Dr. Velma McClymont, a well-respected British-Jamaican writer and poet, has called on members of the Commonwealth Caribbean to take a stand against racist attacks made towards Markle.

In a worded article obtained by the Jamaican Observer, McClymont expresses how traumatized members of the Caribbean community in Britain are by recent vile remarks made by members of the British press.

McClymont noted this is not an issue the community can tackle by themselves. So she is urging their Caribbean counterparts to help take a stand against the British media’s harsh mistreatment towards Markle.

The most recent attack happened last month in a column published in the tabloid newspaper “The Sun.”

In an article written by British Broadcaster and Journalist Jeremy Clarkson, the writer describes how he hates Meghan Markle “on a cellular level” and said he dreams of the day Markle is made to parade the streets of Britain naked while crowds throw excrements at her as they chant the word, ‘Shame.’ This is a scene featured on the show, Game of Thrones, with Queen Cersei.

The article has since been removed from The Sun’s website, and the newspaper also issued an apology for publishing the piece.

Clarkson also took to Twitter to apologize in the following tweet:

“Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in the future.”

Systemic racism has been an ongoing issue that continues to impact the Caribbean community in Britain. These issues are often found in inner-city areas, and are a challenge to tackle due to the lack of economic power and influence.

McClymont stresses that Caribbean leaders can no longer remain silent, and should use their voice to help fight this issue. She suggests Commonwealth Caribbean write a letter to the King about the mistreatment of his son’s wife.

“If the region does not denounce Clarkson’s racist attack (a hate crime) on the King’s own daughter-in-law, what is the point of the Commonwealth?” she queried.

McClymont also expressed disappointment on how the royal family has been handling the issue, as they have remained silent.

She also noted how quick the royal family and the police are to condemn perpetrators for attacks on people within the Jewish or Asian community, but fail to do the same for someone within their own family.

In an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, Prince Harry came to his wife’s defence in the following comment:

“When we’re talking about accountability… the Jeremy Clarkson article, so not only did what he said was horrific and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encouraged other people around the UK and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way.”

This news comes as Prince Harry recently released his autobiography, Spare, which became the fastest selling non-fiction book in the United Kingdom. Spare will be one of Prince Harry’s final projects based on his story.