Caricom: UK apology for slavery would be welcomed, but reparations must remain on the table

UK PM ‘open’ to slavery apology but not reparations “I do not believe that is the right answer,” he wrote in the Guardian. “I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part. ” Burnham instead offered a “structured dialogue” with those affected by the slave trade: “Having these difficult conversations to safeguard the Commonwealth for the future is the right thing to do. It is also the patriotic thing to do. Not just because it is in our interests, but because the Britain I believe in is confident, decent and brave. We led the world in abolishing slavery – and we can show leadership again today.

” “I want to express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions and to recognise the way it still shapes our world today,” he added. Pierre said Burnham’s expression of personal sorrow and regret for the suffering caused by slavery and its continuing effects, together with his willingness to consider a formal apology on behalf of the British state, represented a significant development. “No British Prime Minister has gone this far before. It would be wrong of us not to say so, and we welcome it in the spirit in which it appears to be offered,” Pierre said. “For more than a decade, this Community has asked for exactly such a dialogue. We are ready to engage. ” However, the Caricom Chair said the Community did not accept the argument that reparations were inappropriate or that Britain’s responsibility had ended because present-day citizens had not personally participated in slavery. “Reparatory justice has never been about individual guilt. It is about the responsibility of states and institutions – and that…