Caribbean leaders, victims of slavery, seek reparations for Britain’s historical responsibility, with its ships transporting three million chained individuals to the American colonies. However, at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ruled out any financial payout. King Charles III, in a very cautious and diplomatic speech, has acknowledged “mistakes in the past that can no longer be undone.”
Charles III addresses the members of the Commonwealth in Samoa
Efe / Commonwealth
The monarch has resisted pressures to apologize and offer compensation, stating that “we have to learn from history and find creative ways to correct the inequalities that still persist,” while also acknowledging that “some aspects of the painful past still resonate.” Whether this can be considered an apology is a matter of interpretation, but it doesn’t go as far as some of the 56 Commonwealth members participating in the biannual summit in Samoa would have liked.
Prime Minister Starmer, accompanying the king, says he finds “abominable” slavery but, given the UK’s financial situation, there is no money for monetary compensations. Instead, he proposed “finding a language that highlights the values of community and respect, rather than fostering division to accept the shared history.” The furthest London is willing to go is to offer debt relief to Caribbean countries that endured slavery and “restructure financial relationships.”
Keir Starmer supports the king, but warns that there is no money for compensations
Some Caribbean leaders want much more, and are pushing for the final summit statement to say that “the time has come to have a meaningful, substantial, and respectful conversation that acknowledges the truths.” A report from the University of the West Indies, prepared by a judge from the International Court of Justice, has valued at 20 trillion euros what the United Kingdom should pay as compensation for the slave trade from the 16th century until its abolition in 1833.