‘Why cannot Keir Starmer apologise for slavery?’
Slavery was one of the most horrific crimes in human history, which saw millions of African people forced to migrate and torn from their families for the sake of wealth over 400 years.
If you were to ask any decent human being if they felt any remorse that their forefathers committed such depravity, the simple answer would be yes.
Why would anyone not feel regret to have profited financially off the backs of men, women and children who were whipped, shackled and raped.
Furthermore, if you were to ask any decent human being if they’d like to pay back what they gained in the most inhumane way, it’s very likely that they would also say yes – if only to rid themselves of the guilt of knowing that children among millions of people were abused for their comfort.
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PA Wire)
But in 2024, asking the British government to pay reparations for its historical involvement in slavery, let alone to apologise for it – is like trying to draw blood from a stone.
The Prime Minister has rejected calls to make good with the descendants of those who were beaten and killed in the name of Empire. But for many Black people across the world, this comes as no surprise as the colonising, enslaver mindset is still very much alive.
Recently, Tory politician Jacob Rees-Mogg had the shameless audacity to say that the British government deserved reparations for ending slavery which was “motivated by of Christian beliefs.”
You would think that with an Eton education he might have been aware of another disgraceful chapter of this grim history, as well has how unchristian he sounded.
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PA Archive)
Plantation owners were actually paid £17 billion in today’s money when slavery was abolished, while those who were enslaved received nothing.
Compensation for the “loss of human property” they called it, a bill that wasn’t paid off till 2015, meaning that modern day Brits contributed to ending this atrocious practice.
So in 2024, when we see that our Prime Minister refuses to pay reparations or apologise, you have to wonder whether Britain has moved on from the mentality of slavery.
If money is placed over people and believing in equality is a pretence, can we truly believe that Keir Starmer is a decent human being who cares about righting past wrongs and bringing change to Britain, if at the very least, he can’t even utter the words “sorry”.
Only time will tell. Till then, as the calls grow louder, all eyes are on him as we hope that he will do the right thing and close the door on these heinous crimes of the past.
Crimes that bring nothing but utter humiliation on the nation.
