Jamaica's Culture Minister Olivia Grange will lead a delegation to London to formally file a petition on slavery reparations with King Charles during his visit. The petition asks the King to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to Jamaica's highest court of appeal, and is a first for a Commonwealth State using this legal route. An estimated 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken from their homeland between the 16th and 19th centuries, with many being enslaved on plantations in the Caribbean. The petition filing marks a "milestone moment" in Jamaica's history, according to Minister Grange.
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Jamaica's culture minister, Olivia Grange, is leading a delegation to London to file a petition with King Charles III, asking him to refer three questions about the transatlantic slave trade to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Jamaica's highest court of appeal. The petition is part of Jamaica's push for reparations for the African ancestors who suffered under hundreds of years of enslavement. Grange said that up to 2015, Britain was paying off debt linked to slave-owner compensation, and if they were still paying back slave masters for their "property" (i.e., people), then it's only fair that they consider providing some remedy at this time.
The three questions in the petition are: whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law; whether it broke international law; and whether Britain now has a legal duty to provide redress. This is a landmark case, as it's the first time a Commonwealth country has used this legal route to pursue reparations.
The Jamaican delegation will also meet with British Museum officials to discuss the repatriation of cultural artifacts taken from Jamaica during the colonial era. The petition does not demand payment but rather seeks answers and guidance on the matter.
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The Jamaican government has announced plans to file a petition on slavery reparations with the King during a visit to London.
The petition will ask Charles, as Jamaica's head of state, to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is the Caribbean island's highest court of appeal.
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which → see → appeal
Jamaica, which was a British colony until 1962, was a hub for the transatlantic slave trade with as many as one million Africans transported to the Caribbean island between the 1500s and the 1800s.
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Africans → transport → 1500s
Now, Jamaica's Culture Minister, Olivia Grange, is leading a delegation to London which will formally lodge a historic slavery reparation with the King.
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which → lead → King
The delegation said the filing of the petition on Monday would be the first time a Commonwealth State has used this particular legal route 'for the cause of reparatory justice'.
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State → say → justice
The British monarch has authority under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833 to refer legal matters to the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for an advisory opinion.
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monarch → have → opinion
Jamaica has also indicated it will have a meeting with the British Museum to discuss 'the repatriation of cultural artefacts taken from Jamaica'.
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it → indicate → Jamaica
In recent years, the UK has said it will not pay to make amends for slavery, while Caribbean leaders have called for a formal apology and various measures including debt cancellations.
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leaders → say → cancellations
The petition will ask King Charles, as Jamaica's head of state, to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is the Caribbean island's highest court of appeal
Jamaica's Culture Minister, Olivia Grange (pictured), is leading a delegation to London which will formally lodge a historic slavery reparation with the King
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which → ask → King
An estimated 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken by European nations from the 16th to the 19th century, and those who survived the trip across the Atlantic Ocean were enslaved on plantations in the Caribbean and elsewhere under brutal conditions.
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who → estimate → conditions
A programme of events has been organised to coincide with the petition filing, including an ecumenical church service 'focused on remembrance, justice and repair', at the New Park Road Baptist Church in south London on Sunday.
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programme → organise → Sunday
This will be followed by a political engagement event in Westminster on Monday and an event with the National Windrush Museum on Wednesday.
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This → follow → Wednesday
The delegation will be led by Olivia Grange MP, Jamaica's minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport.
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delegation → lead → culture
Ms Grange said: 'The petition filing will be a milestone moment in Jamaica's history.
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filing → say → history
'As members of the Commonwealth, our citizens are exercising their right to petition the King to ask him to refer the issue of slavery reparations to the Privy Council.
'
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citizens → exercise → Council
We look forward to a positive programme of engagement around this issue.'
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We → look → issue
A group of Caribbean leaders met senior clergy from the Church of England in July, as the push for slavery reparations intensified.
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push → meet → reparations
Earlier this year, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage defended his party's proposal to block visa requests from a British Overseas Territory if its government demands slavery reparations.
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government → defend → reparations
Reform named Montserrat on a list of countries and territories from which the party would limit legal migration, if their leaders continued to ask London to compensate for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
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leaders → name → trade
