The Commonwealth recognizes that ‘the time has come’ to discuss reparations for slavery

The 56 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, which unites the United Kingdom and former colonies, agreed this Saturday that “the time has come” to discuss the legacy of the “abhorrent” slave trade, paving the way for possible reparations.

After a tense summit that ended Saturday in Samoa, Commonwealth nations took note of calls for “reparative justice” for the “abhorrent” transatlantic slave trade and agreed that “the time has come for a productive, honest and respectful dialogue.” caption, according to a report accessed by AFP.

Many African, Caribbean and Pacific countries wanted the United Kingdom and other European powers to make financial reparations for slavery or at least political reparations.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has so far publicly rejected calls for reparations and his aides have rejected the idea of ​​an apology during the Commonwealth meeting.

On Friday, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis told AFP the time had come for the Commonwealth to demand “justice” for the brutal slavery era that affected many countries in the group.

“Our history is deeply intertwined, which implies a responsibility to face the past honestly,” he said.

The Commonwealth was originally made up of former British colonies, but later expanded to include former French colonies such as Togo and Gabon.

The British royal family, which profited from the slave trade for centuries, should apologize.

However, the king on Friday appealed to the participants to meet to “reject the language of division”.

“None of us can change the past. But we can wholeheartedly commit to continuing to learn its lessons and finding creative ways to address continuing inequalities,” declared King Charles III.