Former colonial powers should apologise and pay compensation for his or her historic position within the enslavement of Africans, Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell advised European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen.
Mitchell addressed von der Leyen late on Wednesday (Feb 19) on the forty eighth heads of presidency assembly of the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) in Barbados, which the European chief attended for the primary time.
“I do not imply to be rude,” Mitchell mentioned, von der Leyen. “However I’ll say it to you: the problem of reparations… is a matter we are going to take up with you.”
Mitchell added: “We owe it to ourselves and future generations of humanity to make sure (slavery) is accepted as a criminal offense towards humanity, and that acceptable apology and compensation is paid, and that the worldwide neighborhood accepts this could by no means occur once more.”
Von der Leyen replied to Mitchell with out referring to reparations, saying “slavery is a criminal offense towards humanity… and the dignity and common rights of each single human being is untouchable and have to be defended by all means”.
From the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, at the least 12.5 million Africans have been kidnapped, forcibly transported by principally European retailers and offered into slavery.
Requires reparations for slavery and colonialism are long-standing however have been gaining momentum worldwide, significantly amongst CARICOM and the African Union (AU).
CARICOM has its personal reparation plan, which, amongst different calls for, requires know-how transfers and investments to deal with well being crises and illiteracy. The AU is creating its personal plan.
In 2023, the EU and the Neighborhood of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) agreed to incorporate of their summit’s ultimate assertion a paragraph that acknowledged the “untold struggling” slavery inflicted on thousands and thousands.
Within the assertion, adopted by leaders of each side, the CELAC referred to CARICOM’s reparations plan.
