Nigerians have taken to the microblogging platform X.com to demand that British journalist Christopher Wilson apologise for his Nazi remark directed towards Nigerians in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit to Nigeria.
Wilson had, on Tuesday, compared Nigerians to Nazis in a now-deleted post on X, which had ignited widespread condemnation.
“Desperate to show his wife they were still ‘royal’ in the eyes of the world, the Duke of Windsor took Wallis on a tour of Germany in 1937. Nigeria’s human rights record is not far short of Nazi Germany’s,” Wilson posted on Tuesday.
Wilson cited a 2023 report from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour in response to criticism of his spiteful remark.
The report he cited highlights human rights abuses in Nigeria, including extrajudicial killings, torture, harsh prison conditions, and arbitrary arrests, among others.
The post sparked criticism and backlash from Nigerians and netizens.
@wukster2, who tweets anonymously, wrote, “How did we become Nazis, @TheWislon? You are so triggered by Harry and Meghan that you have resorted to comparing Nigeria to Nazi Germany. Meghan Markle’s power over mediocre white men and women needs to be studied. We need a global conference.”
A tweep, Faith Harvest, who identifies as @harvest_fa77000 on X, wrote, “Desperate? Nah, there is no comparison. Try as they may to liken Meghan to Wallis Simpson; Meghan is no Wallis, and Harry is certainly not an abdicated king with sympathies to Hitler, and as far as human rights records, Christopher Wilson needs to read up on his own history.”
Wilson, author of ‘A Greater Love: Charles and Camilla,’ was referring to Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who became the wife of King Edward VIII.
Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle, abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Simpson.
The monarch’s decision to marry Simpson, a divorcée, triggered a constitutional crisis, leading to Edward’s abdication from the throne in December 1936.
After their marriage, they became known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The couple traveled extensively, and notably, they visited Adolf Hitler at his Berghof retreat in Bavaria, Nazi Germany, in October 1937.
Markle, an American divorcee, married Prince Harry in 2018.
However, the couple announced their decision to step back from their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, United States. Despite their move, they retained their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Following the negative reactions that trailed his Nazi comment, Wilson wrote, “Not quite the truth. I deleted it because it had caused an unanticipated offense,” in response to a post condemning his ‘shameful remark’.
Wilson’s latest reaction caused more Nigerians to demand a proper apology from the U.K. journalist.
“Could you please apologize to all Nigerians for your offensive remarks about Nigeria?” The prince visit aimed to support wounded military personnel, and your comparison to Nazi Germany was highly inappropriate,” an X user who tweets by name NairaXchanger wrote.
Another user who posts by name @mariamba692 said, “That doesn’t sound like an apology to me! It is despicable that you dare compare Nigeria, the largest nation in Africa, to Nazi Germany. We get what Meghan is talking about now. Hate-filled wicked soul.”
@JoDivarunner wrote, “You said and meant to cause the offense! Now, you are just a coward.”
“You anticipated the offense but thought your racist gang would be able to stop any repercussions coming your way. At your age, you should be trying to live your best life, not inciting hate on others,” @debralex partly wrote.
