Reparations are due now to compensate for the trans-Atlantic slave trade as a way to tackle “its legacy” in contemporary society, including “systemic racism and white supremacy.” That is the message a Caribbean delegation will take to Brussels and London on a visit designed to elicit cash payments as compensation for “slavery and colonialism.”
Calls for reparations are longstanding but have been gaining momentum around the world, particularly among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union (AU), Reuters
reports.
The outlet set out some of the background to the latest call to target Europe:
Organised by the Repair Campaign, a group advocating for reparations in the Caribbean, the trip will start in Brussels on July 1, where the delegation will host a briefing with European Union (EU) lawmakers.
In 2023, the EU said Europe inflicted “untold suffering” on millions of people but even though some member states have acknowledged past wrongs, no country has agreed to reparations.
The delegation will then travel to London, where they will hold a briefing in parliament on July 2.
The Reuters report goes on to state the delegation includes “Caribbean academics and policy experts, as well as members of national reparations committees established by CARICOM member states and backed by their respective governments.”
CARICOM has a reparations plan, which, among other demands, calls for technology transfers and investments to tackle health crises and illiteracy. The AU is developing its own plan.
An infographic details growing demands for slavery reparations. (Ufuk Celal Guzel/Anadolu via Getty)
Opponents of reparations argue contemporary states and institutions should not be held responsible for their past. But advocates say action is needed to address the legacies, such as inherent racism allegedly delivered through colonialism.
Britain has previously rejected calls for reparations even as the United Nations has added its voice to the call.
Just this past week a Black Lives Matter (BLM) affiliate made a demand of its own in the U.S. telling “white folks” the time has come to pay up.
BLM has also made the same call in the UK.
As Breitbart News
reported, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres in 2024 said past colonial powers “laid the foundations for a violent discrimination system based on white supremacy that still echoes today.
“Descendants of enslaved Africans and people of African descent are still fighting for equal rights and freedoms around the world. Today and every day, we reject the legacy of this horrific crime against humanity.
“[…] We call for reparatory justice frameworks to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination.”
HILARIOUS!!!!
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