Catarina Demony
Sun 27 October 2024
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
LONDON (Reuters) - Some British Labour lawmakers on Sunday accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of having a "colonial mindset" and trying to silence nations pushing for discussions on reparations for transatlantic slavery at this month's Commonwealth summit in Samoa.
Britain has so far rejected calls for reparations but some campaigners hoped Starmer's new Labour government would be more open to it.
However, ahead of the Commonwealth heads of government summit in Samoa, where Caribbean and African nations wished to discuss the topic, Starmer said the issue was not on the agenda and that he would like to "look forward" rather than have "very long, endless discussions about reparations on the past".
"(It) is very insulting (to) tell people of African descent to forget and move forward," said Labour lawmaker Bell Ribeiro-Addy at a cross-party reparations conference in London.
At the end the Samoa summit, leaders of the 56-nation club headed by Britain's King Charles agreed to include in their final communique that the time had come for a discussion on reparations.
"I'm very proud those nations refused to be silenced," Ribeiro-Addy said.
Another Labour lawmaker, Clive Lewis, said it was surprising Starmer thought he could take a "colonial mindset" to the summit and "dictate what could and could not be discussed".
At a news conference in Samoa on Saturday, Starmer said slavery was "abhorrent" and that the discussions agreed to in the communique would not be "about money".
A Downing Street spokesperson had no further comment on the remarks by Labour lawmakers on Sunday.
Proponents of reparations say slavery's legacy has caused persistent racial inequalities while opponents say countries shouldn't be held responsible for historical wrongs.
The lawmakers said that reparations could include a formal apology, debt cancellation, the return of artefacts or changing the school curriculum, not just financial payments.
Diane Abbott, Britain's first Black woman lawmaker, said Labour previously had plans to establish a national reparations commission but Starmer "seems to have forgotten that".
"Reparations isn't about the past, it is about the here and now," she said.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Alistair Smout and David Evans)
Commonwealth leaders say 'time has come' for discussion on slavery reparations
James Redmayne and Catarina Demony
Updated Sat 26 October 2024
APIA, Samoa (Reuters) -Commonwealth leaders, ending a week-long summit in Samoa, said on Saturday the time had come for a discussion on whether Britain should commit to reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
Slavery and the threat of climate change were major themes for representatives of the 56 countries in the group, most with roots in Britain's empire, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that began in the Pacific Islands nation on Monday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose country has long rejected calls for financial compensation for nations affected by slavery, said summit discussions were not "about money".
On slavery, the leaders said in a joint statement they had "agreed that the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity".
The push for ex-colonial powers such as Britain to pay reparations or make other amends for slavery and its legacies has gained momentum worldwide, particularly among the Caribbean Community and the African Union.
The statement also made reference to "blackbirding", a term for people from places including the Pacific Islands being deceived, coerced or kidnapped to work on plantations in Australia and elsewhere.
Those opposed to reparations say countries should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, while those in support say the legacy of slavery has led to vast and persistent racial inequality.
The joint statement did not mention what form reparations should take.
Starmer told a press conference the joint statement did two things: "It notes calls for discussion and it agrees that this is the time for a conversation.
"But I should be really clear here, in the two days we've been here, none of the discussions have been about money. Our position is very, very clear in relation to that," he said.
Professor Kingsley Abbott, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London, said the statement was a sign of a potentially historic breakthrough on the issue.
"The commitment to conversations on reparatory justice wedges open the door for dialogue, and now the hard work really begins," said Abbott, who attended the summit.
The joint statement also referred to concern about "the severe consequences of the climate crisis, including rising temperatures and sea levels".
In a boost for Pacific Islands such as Tuvalu under threat from rising seas, they issued the Commonwealth's first Oceans Declaration, affirming that a nation's maritime boundaries should remain fixed even if climate change causes small island states to be submerged.
Fixing maritime boundaries means atoll nations can continue to reap the economic benefit of vast fishing grounds, even if populations must migrate as dry land area is significantly reduced. The declaration bolsters momentum for international law to recognise the perpetual statehood of sinking island states.
More than half of the Commonwealth's members are small nations, many of them low-lying islands at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change.
NEW CHIEF
The Commonwealth members selected Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey as the group's new secretary-general. Botchwey, a supporter of reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism, takes over from Britain's Patricia Scotland, who has been in the job since 2016.
King Charles and Queen Camilla, who both attended the summit, flew out of Samoa after a visit in which the monarch acknowledged the Commonwealth's "painful" history.
Before leaving, the royal pair attended a farewell ceremony in heavy rain in the village of Siumu.
Charles said in a speech to the summit on Friday that he understood "from listening to people across the Commonwealth how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate".
"It is vital, therefore, that we understand our history, to guide us towards making the right choices in future," he said.
The king and queen's time in Samoa followed a six-day tour of Australia, where a large crowd turned out to see them at the Sydney Opera House. Charles also met with Indigenous elders in Sydney, after being heckled by an Indigenous senator in Canberra.
(Reporting by James Redmayne in Apia, Sam McKeith and Cordelia Hsu in Sydney, and Catarina Demony and William James in London; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard)
Starmer pushed into reparation talks
Nick Gutteridge
Sat 26 October 2024 at 11:06 am GMT-6·2-min read
Sir Keir Starmer at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa - Stefan Rousseau/PA
Sir Keir Starmer has been pushed into reparation talks with Commonwealth leaders after failing to block official calls for slave trade compensation.
Commonwealth heads made a formal request for “discussions” at a gathering of leaders in Samoa on Saturday, despite repeated efforts from UK negotiators for them to be left off the table.
This comes as a major blow to Sir Keir, who immediately ruled out paying any kind of cash compensation for Britain’s role in the slave trade.
The communique, signed by all 56 Commonwealth nations, noted “calls for discussions on reparatory justice with regard to the trans-Atlantic trade in enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement”.
It recognised “the importance of this matter to member states of the Commonwealth, the majority of which share common historical experiences in relation to this abhorrent trade”.
According to the statement, member states agreed that “the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity”.
Sir Keir reiterated that ‘none of the discussions have been about money’ and that Britain’s position is ‘very, very clear’ - Stefan Rousseau/Reuters
Minutes before the communique was published, the Prime Minister admitted defeat at a press conference before he departed from Samoa.
Asked whether he had damaged his relations with Commonwealth nations in his attempt to take a hard line on the issue, the Prime Minister repeated that the slave trade was “abhorrent” but said, “We’ve actually had a very positive two days here in Samoa.”
‘Our position is very clear’
He downplayed the prominence of reparations on the summit’s agenda, saying: “The theme of the day was chosen by the prime minister here in Samoa, and she chose resilience and climate.
“So I think that gives you a clear sense of the absolute priority here, and that’s not surprising.”
He added: “I should be really clear here, in the two days we’ve been here, none of the discussions have been about money. Our position is very, very clear in relation to that.”
Sir Keir said the “next opportunity” to discuss the issue, as demanded by Commonwealth leaders, would be at a UK-Caribbean forum next year.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary who has previously backed the idea of paying reparations, will represent Britain at that gathering.
The row over reparations has dominated the Prime Minister’s two-day visit in Samoa.
A group of Caribbean nations have used the Commonwealth summit to demand that he reverse the Government’s current stance and agree to compensation.
Sir Keir has refused to do that but has opened the door to helping those nations seeking reparations secure cheaper finance for dealing with climate change.
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