Britain’s King Charles has acknowledged the injustices of the era of slavery, saying the issue will be discussed at next week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Reuters reported early Wednesday, October 28, that King Charles made the remarks in the Bahamas in the Caribbean.
According to the report, the British monarch said that acknowledging “the immense suffering and past injustices experienced in these islands and beyond” was “entirely appropriate and right.”
The king’s remarks came ahead of next week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, where Caribbean leaders are expected to press their demands for reparations for slavery and colonialism.
Meanwhile, calls from Caribbean countries for Britain to pay reparations for its role in the slave trade have grown louder.
However, the issue of reparations has gained further momentum across the Caribbean region in recent years.
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped by European traders and sold into slavery. Britain became one of the largest participants in the slave trade, transporting approximately 3.2 million people across the Atlantic Ocean.
