Commonwealth representatives ask for reparations and apology ahead of coronation
Representatives from 12 Commonwealth countries have joined forces to call on the King to acknowledge and apologise for the impacts and ongoing legacy from British “genocide and colonisation”.
The statement, which has been sent to Charles, calls on Britain’s new monarch to act on the royal family’s recent expressions of sorrow by beginning a process for reparations and returning stolen artifacts and bodily remains.
Signatories to the statement include representatives from Australia, New Zealand, The Bahamas and Canada.
The statement said: “Our collective Indigenous Rights Organisations among other organisations who are working to help our communities recover from centuries of racism, oppression, colonialism and slavery, now rightly recognized by the United Nations as ‘Crimes Against Humanity,’ also call for a formal apology and for a process of reparatory justice to commence.”
It outlines five key points, which include: “Immediately start the conversation about slavery’s enduring impact”, “starting discussions about reparations”, “repatriation of all remains of our collective peoples”, “return of all of our cultural treasures and artefacts” and “acknowledge and adopt the renunciation of the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ made by Pope Francis in April 2023”.
Oppression
One of the representatives, Australian senator Lidia Thorpe, said: “The British monarchy oversaw the oppression of First Nations peoples in British colonies all over the world. The horrific impacts of British colonisation, including the genocide of our people, theft of our land and denigration of our culture, are still felt today.
“The genocidal project that commenced in 1788 still continues, and neither the British Crown nor the Australian Government have been held to account for the crimes they have committed.
“This joint statement, from First Nations and human rights advocates across the Commonwealth, calls on King Charles III to make a formal apology and begin a process of repairing the damage of colonisation, including returning the stolen wealth that has been taken from our people.”
In early April, the King expressed his support for the first time for research into the historical links between the British monarchy and the transatlantic slave trade.
Buckingham Palace said Charles takes the issues “profoundly seriously” and the royal household will help with the academic project by offering access to the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.
The coronation will take place on May 6 and heads of state, overseas government representatives, Government ministers, first ministers, former PMs, foreign royals and members of the royal family will be in attendance.
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What about a apology too Wales they where the first country that the English started they’ve empire building and slathering thousands of Welsh people that was the template for what they did to the rest of the world
Yes, and return all the wealth the english made from our coal, gold, silver, lead, copper, slate etc. It’s a well-known fact that the wealth stolen from Wales was a major contributor to the UK economy and the english have the gaul to say they are keeping us!!! GIVE IT BACK!!!
The colonialism template was forged first on this island to mercilessly eliminate, subjugate and exploit it’s first nation people’s, the indigenous Britons, and this continues to the present day. Reparation time? I think not.
I think the part of the statement that is very apt for Cymru is, “returning stolen artifacts and bodily remains”. The bones of the “red lady of paviland” the book of Hergest held at the Bodleian library,various books and manuscripts held a different museums and churches and libraries in England, even without an apology , the return of our stolen artifacts would be a good place to start.
If you found a relic from the past or treasue in your garden you must hand it over to the crown. Thieves the bloody lot of them but it will all come back and bite them one day soon.
King carlo will be dropped by Australia very soon.
The King should have a word with Rishi, him not making friends in Belize, confused seas of old Colonialism at fault here…
People’s grasp on history and reality is very tenuous today, very sad you all seem to think UK is the big bad when we stopped slavery and gave the world the industrial age bringing the world it’s single largest expansion in human history. But yeah some red bones or a crown that would have been melted hundreds of years ago if not taken are what’s important… I think I’m done with the over woke nonsense of nation.cymru, just seems to be a bunch of poorly educated nationalists with a broom up their backsides about everything, enjoy the million fights you’re… Read more »
You forgot to mention: “England’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade officially began, with royal approval, in 1663. In less than 150 years, England was responsible for transporting millions of enslaved Africans to colonies in the Americas, where men, women and children were forced to work on plantations and denied basic rights. The industrial age was also a form of slavery, especially here in Wales, where men went into the bowels of the Earth to cut coal at pittance wages while English fatcats grew very very rich and built themselves mansions as big as castles. Wales contributed more to the… Read more »
Listen to the London media, I thought the British Empire, was the greatest organisation ever created in the history of the world. How twp I am.