Jamaica to take slavery reparations petition to King Charles

Jamaica plans to bring its demand for slavery reparations to King Charles, asking him to refer three questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

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Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters, because we were being considered property.

The British government paid £20 million to slave owners when slavery was abolished across most of the empire in 1833. The loans raised to fund those payments were not fully repaid until 2015.

“Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters, because we were being considered property,” Culture Minister Olivia Grange said. She questioned why Jamaica should not now pursue a remedy for the people whose ancestors were treated as property in the compensation process linked to abolition.

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They are priceless, they are significant to the story of Jamaica and we are working to bring them home.

Grange is also due to meet officials from the British Museum to advance discussions over the return of artefacts taken from Jamaica during the colonial era. “They are priceless, they are significant to the story of Jamaica and we are working to bring them home,” she said.

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Abhorrent in all its forms.

Britain’s position has previously been clear. During a 2015 visit to Jamaica, then-Prime Minister David Cameron ruled out reparations for Britain’s role in the historic slave trade. He called slavery “abhorrent in all its forms” and said he hoped the two countries could move beyond the painful legacy and continue building for the future.

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Move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future.