Slavery protesters target royal tour in St Vincent
Earl and Countess of Wessex met with a frosty welcome amid demands for reparations
Earl and Countess of Wessex met with a frosty welcome amid demands for reparations
Protesters in St Vincent and Grenadines at the arrival of The Earl and the Countess of Wessex.
Photograph: Kenton X Chance/I-Witness News
Kenton Chance in Kingstown, St Vincent, and Shanti Das
Kenton Chance in Kingstown, St Vincent, and Shanti Das
Sat 23 Apr 2022
When the Queen visited St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1985, she was met with a jamboree, the prime minister presented her with a commemorative gold coin and residents lined the streets waving flags.
During a trip to the Caribbean island nation on Saturday, her son and daughter in law have received a somewhat frostier welcome.
After a red carpet arrival in the capital Kingstown, to a steel band playing One Love by Bob Marley, the Earl and Countess of Wessex were confronted by protesters calling for slave trade reparations.
Idesha Jackson, 47, was among a crowd of about 20 in the farming village of Diamond, where Prince Edward had travelled to watch athletes training for the Commonwealth Games.
She said she was there to show her “disgust and disappointment” for those who “over 400 years, had to suffer the slave master’s whip”.
“This wrong was done against a sector of the human race by another and this wrong must be compensated,” Jackson said.
Theo Thomas, 69, who travelled to the protest from the Lowmans Hill community on the other side of the country criticised his government for permitting the visit.
“It’s a shame that a so-called progressive government would be using our people as props to entertain members of the royal family and there has been no conversation about reparations,” he said.
Jomo Thomas, a former chair of the St Vincent and the Grenadines National Reparations Committee, was also among protesters. He called for reparations from Britain.
“They hunted us down, they kidnapped us, they stole us, they worked us. They owe us and they must now pay us,” he said. The protests are the latest controversy to mar recent Royal visits to the area.
When the Queen visited St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1985, she was met with a jamboree, the prime minister presented her with a commemorative gold coin and residents lined the streets waving flags.
During a trip to the Caribbean island nation on Saturday, her son and daughter in law have received a somewhat frostier welcome.
After a red carpet arrival in the capital Kingstown, to a steel band playing One Love by Bob Marley, the Earl and Countess of Wessex were confronted by protesters calling for slave trade reparations.
Idesha Jackson, 47, was among a crowd of about 20 in the farming village of Diamond, where Prince Edward had travelled to watch athletes training for the Commonwealth Games.
She said she was there to show her “disgust and disappointment” for those who “over 400 years, had to suffer the slave master’s whip”.
“This wrong was done against a sector of the human race by another and this wrong must be compensated,” Jackson said.
Theo Thomas, 69, who travelled to the protest from the Lowmans Hill community on the other side of the country criticised his government for permitting the visit.
“It’s a shame that a so-called progressive government would be using our people as props to entertain members of the royal family and there has been no conversation about reparations,” he said.
Jomo Thomas, a former chair of the St Vincent and the Grenadines National Reparations Committee, was also among protesters. He called for reparations from Britain.
“They hunted us down, they kidnapped us, they stole us, they worked us. They owe us and they must now pay us,” he said. The protests are the latest controversy to mar recent Royal visits to the area.
Prince Edward presents medals to the T10 Cricket team at the Montreal Gardens Bloomers at Arnos Vale Playing Field.
Photograph: Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images
Last month the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge faced demonstrations in Jamaica and the Bahamas.
And last week Prince Edward and Sophie’s visit to Grenada was abruptly called off. Grenada’s Reparations Commission on slavery had wished to meet the couple.
The next leg of the Wessexes’ tour will take them to Antigua and Barbuda, where things could become even bumpier. The local Reparations Support Commission chairman Dorbrene O’Marde has warned more protests are likely.
Last month the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge faced demonstrations in Jamaica and the Bahamas.
And last week Prince Edward and Sophie’s visit to Grenada was abruptly called off. Grenada’s Reparations Commission on slavery had wished to meet the couple.
The next leg of the Wessexes’ tour will take them to Antigua and Barbuda, where things could become even bumpier. The local Reparations Support Commission chairman Dorbrene O’Marde has warned more protests are likely.
Protesters in Kingstown greet the Royal couple.
Photograph: Kenton X Chance/I-Witness News
In an open letter, the commission accused the royal family and British government of coming to the Caribbean to “lament that slavery was an ‘appalling atrocity’, that it was ‘abhorrent’, that ‘it should not have happened’.”
“We hear the phoney sanctimony of those who came before you that these crimes are a ‘stain on your history’,” the letter said. “For us, they are the source of genocide and of continuing deep international injury, injustice and racism. We hope you will respect us by not repeating the mantra. We are not simpletons.”
In the UK, the National Council of St Vincent and the Grenadines urged the royals to rethink future visits to the Caribbean.
“We as a community feel that the royal family and Buckingham Palace must rethink the future of royal tours following previous visits, given their involvement in the treatment of people of colour,” a spokesperson said. “Feelings were running very high after the last visit to the Caribbean. What’s changed?”
In an open letter, the commission accused the royal family and British government of coming to the Caribbean to “lament that slavery was an ‘appalling atrocity’, that it was ‘abhorrent’, that ‘it should not have happened’.”
“We hear the phoney sanctimony of those who came before you that these crimes are a ‘stain on your history’,” the letter said. “For us, they are the source of genocide and of continuing deep international injury, injustice and racism. We hope you will respect us by not repeating the mantra. We are not simpletons.”
In the UK, the National Council of St Vincent and the Grenadines urged the royals to rethink future visits to the Caribbean.
“We as a community feel that the royal family and Buckingham Palace must rethink the future of royal tours following previous visits, given their involvement in the treatment of people of colour,” a spokesperson said. “Feelings were running very high after the last visit to the Caribbean. What’s changed?”
The Earl and Countess of Wessex are visiting the Caribbean just a month after Prince William and Kate Middleton
By Elizabeth Haigh
24 APR 2022
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex
at Government House on April 23, 2022 in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines
(Image: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
The Royal Family are facing a strong backlash and calls for an end to colonialism after a second tour of the Caribbean in less than a month. The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and wife Sophie, are currently in the Caribbean but have not been met with a welcome reception.
The royals had already been forced to cancel one leg of their trip to Grenada amid protests over Britain's record on slavery and reparations, with the Royal Family being warned about engagements which may seem tokenistic or ineffective when it comes to the legacy of slavery.
Now the couple has come face to face with anti-colonial and anti-commonwealth protesters as they arrived at Government House in St Vincent and the Grenadines. A group of protesters holding signs which read "Britain your debt is outstanding", "reparation now", "compensation now" and "down with neo colonialism" lined the road to coincide with the royals' arrival in the country.
READ MORE: Royal Family: Rare intimate photos of Prince Louis see fans gush over adorable 'Boss Baby '
The Royal Family are facing a strong backlash and calls for an end to colonialism after a second tour of the Caribbean in less than a month. The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and wife Sophie, are currently in the Caribbean but have not been met with a welcome reception.
The royals had already been forced to cancel one leg of their trip to Grenada amid protests over Britain's record on slavery and reparations, with the Royal Family being warned about engagements which may seem tokenistic or ineffective when it comes to the legacy of slavery.
Now the couple has come face to face with anti-colonial and anti-commonwealth protesters as they arrived at Government House in St Vincent and the Grenadines. A group of protesters holding signs which read "Britain your debt is outstanding", "reparation now", "compensation now" and "down with neo colonialism" lined the road to coincide with the royals' arrival in the country.
READ MORE: Royal Family: Rare intimate photos of Prince Louis see fans gush over adorable 'Boss Baby '
The Cambridges faced particular criticism for greeting Jamaicans from behind a wire fence
(Image: Samir Hussein/Getty Images)
Separately, the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission has released an open letter which said it had become "common for members of the Royal Family and representatives of the government of Britain to come to this region and lament that slavery was an 'appalling atrocity', that it was 'abhorrent', that 'it should not have happened'".
The letter added: "We hear the phony sanctimony of those who came before you that these crimes are a 'stain on your history'."
Last month the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertook a tour of the Caribbean as part of the Queen's Royal Jubilee celebrations - but faced strong criticism for what many termed an "insensitive" and "tone-deaf" tour. In particular photos of the royal couple passing dozens of impoverished children in Jamaica who were crammed against a wire fence were widely condemned.
They were also slammed as old-fashioned after a photo opportunity in the back of a 4x4 which imitated a similar photo shoot the Queen undertook on a previous visit to the Caribbean.
Separately, the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission has released an open letter which said it had become "common for members of the Royal Family and representatives of the government of Britain to come to this region and lament that slavery was an 'appalling atrocity', that it was 'abhorrent', that 'it should not have happened'".
The letter added: "We hear the phony sanctimony of those who came before you that these crimes are a 'stain on your history'."
Last month the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertook a tour of the Caribbean as part of the Queen's Royal Jubilee celebrations - but faced strong criticism for what many termed an "insensitive" and "tone-deaf" tour. In particular photos of the royal couple passing dozens of impoverished children in Jamaica who were crammed against a wire fence were widely condemned.
They were also slammed as old-fashioned after a photo opportunity in the back of a 4x4 which imitated a similar photo shoot the Queen undertook on a previous visit to the Caribbean.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertook a 15-day tour (Image: Paul Edwards - Pool/Getty Images)
They too faced Caribbean citizens protesting for proper reparations for the slave trade from the UK and signs reading "apologise". Prince William did address the 'abhorrent' legacy of slavery in a speech on the tour, but many felt this stopped short of a full apology.
Before the most recent protest, Edward and Sophie were given their second red carpet and guard of honour of the tour after landing in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The couple are due to visit Antigua and Barbuda on a later leg of the tour.
They too faced Caribbean citizens protesting for proper reparations for the slave trade from the UK and signs reading "apologise". Prince William did address the 'abhorrent' legacy of slavery in a speech on the tour, but many felt this stopped short of a full apology.
Before the most recent protest, Edward and Sophie were given their second red carpet and guard of honour of the tour after landing in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The couple are due to visit Antigua and Barbuda on a later leg of the tour.
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