Jamaica demands slavery reparations from the Queen of England as its government is set to petition Queen Elizabeth for compensation to all its citizens. Many Jamaicans are descendants of slaves who suffered under the oppressive British colonial regime. The country gained independence from the UK in 1962 but has kept the Queen as head of state.
European/british Merchants made huge fortunes as slave traders in Jamaica after it became a British Colony in 1707.
And now Jamaica wants compensation as the Caribbean country’s Culture Minister announced the move to its House of Representatives.
Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange said; “We are especially pleased to announce that we have made further steps in our strides towards seeking reparatory justice; for the victims and descendants of the transatlantic slave trade.
“The petition is to be presented to the Queen of the UK and or the government of the UK.”
Jamaicans Demand reparations
She said Jamaica’s National Council of Reparation had fully backed the petition and ministers had agreed that; “The Attorney General’s chambers would need to weigh up the merits of the petition in the eventuality of the government of Jamaica’s involvement; in the petition and that it would be the responsibility of the Attorney General’s chambers to file the petition on behalf of the people of Jamaica.”
However, it wasn’t until 2015 that the United Kingdom officially paid out the debt owed to slave-owning families; who had sought compensation following the abolition of slavery in the country in 1833.
Critics of Jamaica’s decision have asserted that British taxpayers have already paid their fair share of compensation as a result of this.
“Britain has already paid its share and then some of the price of liberation for Jamaican slaves,” said Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills, historian and founder of the British Monarchists Society, in an interview with the Daily Star.
“There must come a day when individuals, peoples, and nations of today must accept personal responsibility for their actions.
In order to go forward, they must take responsibility for their own acts and conditions, rather than blaming centuries-old dead people or less savory chapters of history.
Successful Slave Trading Company
“Portugal and Britain were the two most successful slave-trading countries; according to a record from the British National Archives,” the document stated.
“They accounted for almost 70 percent of all Africans brought to the Americas during this period.”
“Britain dominated the world between 1640 and 1807 when the British slave trade was prohibited,” says the author.
In total, around 3.1 million people from Africa were transported to British possessions; in the Americas and the Caribbean during the nineteenth century.
During the treacherous “middle passage, ”; which took place in the confines of slave ships across the ocean; it is estimated that only 2.7 million individuals made it.