Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell renewed calls for the United Kingdom to apologise for slavery in the Caribbean and its other former colonies, and to pay reparations.
In an interview with the UK magazine, The Independent, Mitchell criticised Britain for failing to apologise for capturing and enslaving African people adding that their failure to show remorse, sends a ‘bad message’.
“If the UK wants to continue being a country that demonstrates that it upholds the values of justice, fairness, democracy, [and] equal treatment of human beings, then it should be upfront in apologising for slavery,” Mitchell said.
Though asked by multiple prime ministers of former colonies, neither King Charles, the British Monarch nor Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister have offered apologies or commitments to pay reparations.
Sunak said “trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward” while King Charles recently spoke only of his “sorrow” and deepening “understanding” of slavery.
Grenada’s Prime Minister said that he believes it is critical to improve relations with Britain but that the people of former colonies must be seen as equals by the country that colonised them.
