#World #democracy #freedom #attack #Prince #Harry #tells
Britain’s Prince Harry told the United Nations on Monday that the suspension of constitutional rights in the United States was part of a “global assault on democracy and freedom”.
The Duke of Sussex addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York at an event to mark International Nelson Mandela Day.
“This has been a painful year in a painful decade,” the king told delegates.
He cited the ongoing fallout from the pandemic, climate change, disinformation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, before alluding to the Supreme Court’s recent repeal of the country’s right to abortion.
“And from the horrific war in Ukraine to the rollback of constitutional rights here in the United States, we are witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom, the cause of Mandela’s life,” Harry said.
The king paid tribute to Mandela, South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero, who spent 27 years in prison before being elected the country’s first black leader, as “not just a conscientious man” but “a man of action”.
Harry, 37, invoked that sentiment to urge leaders to address climate change while his wife Meghan Markle looked on from the chamber.
“As we sit here today, our world is on fire again,” the prince said, adding that “historic weather events are no longer historic.”
“They are more and more part of our daily lives. And this crisis will only get worse if our leaders don’t lead.
“Unless the countries represented by the seats in this sacred hall make the decisions, the daring, transformative decisions, that our world needs to save humanity,” he added.
The General Assembly designated Mandela’s birthday, July 18, 2009 as Nelson Mandela Day to honor his life and legacy.
Assembly President Abdulla Shahid and New York City Mayor Eric Adams were among other delegates who delivered speeches.
In a personal moment, Harry said a photo of his mother Princess Diana with Mandela was “on my wall and in my heart every day.”
It was recorded in Cape Town in 1997, a few months before Diana died in a car accident in Paris.
“When I first looked at the photo, my mother’s face immediately lit up with joy. The playfulness, even the cheekiness, the sheer joy of being in fellowship with another soul so dedicated to the service of humanity,” Harry said.
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