UK slavery reparations must be top issue at Commonwealth summit, says campaigner | Reparations and reparative justice
The former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines said it was “inconceivable” that Britain’s restorative justice for the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans would not be “front and centre” at the next meeting of Commonwealth leaders.
Ralph Gonsalves was in Jamaica to discuss the next steps of the “vibrant and growing” movement to advocate for reparations for centuries of chattel slavery.
The opposition leader was recently appointed an elder and counselor. Repair CampaignA social movement for restorative justice founded by Irish telecommunications tycoon Denis O’Brien.
Gonsalves was instrumental in establishing the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) reparations commission to recognize Caribbean governments’ enduring legacies of colonialism and enslavement and to support the call for restorative justice from former colonizers.
He said leaders of the 56-nation Commonwealth group, which includes 33 Caribbean and African countries, could not ignore the strong momentum towards the reparations decision.
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, more than 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly taken to the Americas, and sold into slavery.
This issue dominated the headlines at the last Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in October 2024; British prime minister Keir Starmer resisted pressure from member states to include reparations on the summit agenda.
Gonsalves said: “In light of what transpired last time at Chogm and the progress that has been made since then and the activist agenda for the reparations movement both in the Caribbean and in Africa… it would be absolutely unthinkable that you would not want that to be front and center of the summit.”
In March this year, the UK was one of several European countries to abstain from voting on a landmark UN general assembly resolution identifying chattel slavery as the greatest crime against humanity. The resolution was adopted after an overwhelming majority of 123 countries voted in favour; only the United States, Israel and Argentina voted against it.
Gonsalves said a series of landmark events would be held in the Caribbean, Africa and the UK ahead of the Commonwealth meeting in Antigua and Barbuda in November.
Ghana, which led the UN resolution in March will host a compensation conference Agreement was reached on coordinated next steps for the global movement in June.
He added that ahead of a meeting of Caribbean leaders in St Lucia in July, the prime ministerial compensation subcommittee chaired by Barbados prime minister Mia Amor Mottley would likely meet to agree on updates. Caricom’s 10-point plan for restorative justice.
Gonsalves said there is a strong commitment across the region to address the legacy of colonialism.
On Saturday, Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who also played a key role in establishing Caricom’s repair commission, gave a speech. Announced that Nelson Island will change its name In honor of the indentured immigrants sent to India by Britain between 1866 and 1917, what he called “the unjust and inhumane system of human trafficking”.
Gonsalves said Persad-Bissessar did “a very good job” in his first term.
“He was the chairman of Caricom when I took up the issue of restorative justice in 2013 and 2014, and he fully supported that,” he said.
“I expect him to continue that support in his second term, because this is an issue that he speaks about not only passionately, but more importantly, with determination, and I don’t see that commitment waning.”
During her visit to Jamaica, Gonsalves met with the country’s minister of culture and gender, Olivia “Babsy” Grange, who is leading the reparations movement.
Last year Caricom supported Jamaica’s decision to petition the head of state, King Charles, to seek legal advice on damages from the privy council’s judiciary committee, the court of final appeal for the United Kingdom’s overseas territories and some Commonwealth countries.
Gonsalves said he hoped King Charles would support the Caribbean and Africa.
He said: “To quote King Charles, the current president of the Commonwealth, this issue of compensation is an issue that is due for a serious conversation.
“Now, I don’t know which side of the conversation he’s going to be on. Knowing him, I’m glad he’s coming. [down] “On the side of the conversation that is in the interest of the majority of people in the Commonwealth and will be a progressive direction.”
