Nearshore Americas

Descendants of William Gladstone Apologize for Slavery; Urge Reparations

Descendants of former British Prime Minister William Gladstone apologized for their ancestor’s enslavement of Africans in the Caribbean, urging the British government to provide reparations.

The apology came from Charles Gladstone, the former PM’s great-great-grandson, during an evet at the University of Guyana’s International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies.

“Slavery was a crime against humanity,” Charles said. “We are deeply sorry for the pain and suffering it caused.”

African descendants whose forefathers were enslaved under British colonial rule said they would not accept mere apologies and demanded reparations.

The Caricom Reparations Commission, which is made up of representatives from 15 Caribbean countries, has estimated that Britain may have to pay nearly US$1.2 trillion to the descendants of African slaves.

William’s father, John Gladstone, was one of the largest slave owners in the British Caribbean. He also owned two ships that transported thousands of indentured laborers from India to the Caribbean to work in sugarcane fields.

The descendants of indentured laborers in the Caribbean have faced many challenges, including poverty, unemployment and lack of education. They have also had to deal with the legacy of slavery.

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Even though the enslavers are not alive today, they must be posthumously charged for the crime against humanity, demanded Irfaan Ali, president of Guyana.

Narayan Ammachchi

News Editor for Nearshore Americas, Narayan Ammachchi is a career journalist with a decade of experience in politics and international business. He works out of his base in the Indian Silicon City of Bangalore.

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