By Catarina Demony
LONDON (Reuters) -A delegation from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) reparations commission visiting London for the first time urged Britain on Tuesday to help Caribbean nations “clean up the mess” left behind by slavery, colonialism and their enduring impacts.
“You have to help us clean up this mess that you have created so that we can all go forward together,” the chairman of the commission, Hilary Beckles, told a press conference, citing illiteracy and extreme poverty as issues Britain could help tackle through reparations.
At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by European ships and sold into slavery from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Advocates say action is needed to confront today’s legacies, such as economic underdevelopment, social inequality and environmental vulnerability.
Beckles said the commission was in Britain to ask the country to be a “strategic partner” in supporting the Caribbean in addressing those legacies, emphasising that it was not seeking aid.
Calls for reparations have gained momentum worldwide, particularly among CARICOM, a group of 15 member states that includes Barbados and Jamaica that backs the commission, and the African Union.
CARICOM has a reparations plan, which includes calls for a full and formal apology, education and cultural programmes, debt cancellation and monetary compensation, while the AU is developing its own.
A backlash against reparations has also been growing, and many European leaders have opposed even talking about them, with opponents arguing that today’s states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.
“There is no reason why Britain should be divided on reparatory justice for the Caribbean,” Beckles said, calling for a summit between Britain and CARICOM to discuss the matter. “It’s an emotional response based on the racism of a few.”
The commission, visiting Britain from November 17–20, will meet with CARICOM and AU diplomats, as well as some UK lawmakers.
At the press conference at the University of London, Barbados’ ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, said the commission was targeting not only Britain but all former European colonial powers involved in enslavement.
“Whoever was involved, we expect you to come to the table,” Comissiong said.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony in London Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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