The King of the Netherlands in his Christmas speech hailed the government’s apology this week for the role of the Dutch state in 250 years of slavery, saying it is the “beginning of a long road“. “No one today bears responsibility for the inhuman acts that have been inflicted on the lives of men, women and childrensaid King Willem-Alexander from the Huis ten Bosch royal palace in The Hague.
“But by honestly facing our shared past and acknowledging the crime against humanity of slavery, we are laying the foundations for a shared future.“, he continued. “A future in which we stand up against all contemporary forms of discrimination, exploitation and injustice“, he added. Willem-Alexander promised that the subject “will remember“the attention of the sovereigns of the Netherlands”in the upcoming commemorative year“, and that they will remain”involved“. “The government’s apology is the start of a long road“, did he declare.
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Slavery helped fund the “golden ageDutch, a period of prosperity thanks to maritime trade in the 16th and 17th centuries. The country trafficked about 600,000 Africans, mostly to South America and the Caribbean. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued a formal government apology on Monday for the Dutch state’s role in slavery, which he called “crime against humanity“.
The choice of December 19 as the date for the apology has sparked considerable controversy in the Netherlands and overseas. Slavery commemoration organizations wanted the apology to come on July 1, 2023, the date marking 150 years since the end of slavery.
The Prime Minister of Sint Maarten and the President of Suriname, following the apology, deplored the lack of dialogue on the part of the Netherlands. The lack of concrete actions on the part of the government has also been criticized in some former colonies. Some have asked for compensation. The government has promised several major commemoration events starting next year.