Jamaican professors and politicians shun British royal visit, demand slavery apology
- A group of 100 prominent Jamaican leaders has published a letter saying British rule ‘perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind’
- Prince William and Kate are on a Caribbean tour to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the British throne and are expected to visit Jamaica on Tuesday
Dozens of well-known leaders in Jamaica including professors and politicians are demanding an apology and slavery reparations as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge prepare for a trip to the former British colony.
The group is rejecting the visit of Prince William and Kate scheduled for Tuesday, part of a larger trip to the Caribbean region that coincides with the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence and the 70th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
“We see no reason to celebrate 70 years of the ascension of your grandmother to the British throne because her leadership, and that of her predecessors, have perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind,” read a letter published on Sunday ahead of the couple’s visit and signed by 100 Jamaican leaders.
The weeklong royal tour of Central America and the Caribbean that began on Saturday was taken at the behest of the queen, who is William’s grandmother.
The trip aims to strengthen Britain’s ties with Commonwealth countries, but it’s off to a rocky start and comes as some countries consider cutting ties to the monarchy, which the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados did in November.
Local opposition forced the royal couple to cancel a visit to a cacao farm in Belize that was planned for Saturday, while the upcoming trip to Jamaica has angered some who say they are still waiting for an apology and slavery reparations.
Jamaica politician Mike Henry, who has long led an effort to obtain reparations that he estimates at more than £7 billion (US$9.2 billion), told Associated Press in a phone interview that an apology is only the first step for what he described as “abuse of human life and labour.”