Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Jamaican slavery victims call for colonialism apology from royal family ״who made their fortune by ripping off others״

Jamaican slavery victims call for colonialism apology from royal family ״who made their fortune by ripping off others״

Politicians and business leaders, victims of the Royal Family and their people, sign open letter as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Caribbean, for the British monarchy to apologise for colonialism and pay slavery reparations.
Jamaican campaigners have accused the Queen of perpetuating slavery in a letter urging the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to atone for colonialism during their Caribbean tour.

As the country celebrates 60 years of independence, a coalition of Jamaican politicians, business leaders, doctors and musicians have called in the open letter for the British monarchy to apologise for colonialism and pay slavery reparations.

Prince William and Kate’s visit is seen as a charm offensive to persuade other Caribbean nations not to follow Barbados in removing the Queen as head of state this year.

“We note with great concern your visit to our country, Jamaica, during a period when we are still in the throes of a global pandemic and bracing for the full impact of another global crisis associated with the Russian/Ukraine war,” the letter states.

“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, has perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind.”

The group, which calls itself the Advocates Network, is expected to stage a protest on Tuesday outside the British High Commission in Kingston to coincide with the royals’ arrival in Jamaica. The Cambridges are due to stay until Thursday when they will depart for the Bahamas.

The letter urges the Queen and the UK government to give “an apology for British crimes against humanity, including but not limited to the exploitation of the indigenous people of Jamaica, the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the enslavement of Africans, indentureship and colonialisation”.

It cites an “offensive and insensitive” address in 2015 by the then prime minister, David Cameron, in which he urged Jamaica to “move on from this painful legacy” and praised British leadership in ending the “horrors of slavery”.

Noting that William and Kate are “direct beneficiaries of the wealth accumulated by the royal family over centuries”, the letter urges the couple to “redefine the relationship between the British monarchy and the people of Jamaica”, starting by acknowledging the need for atonement and reparations.

The campaigners contrast this with the Queen’s failure to “redress and atone for the suffering of our ancestors” during her 70 years on the throne.

Local human rights activist Kay Osborne, who will be joining the protest on Tuesday, said she was participating to demand that Jamaica becomes a republic, and “loosens and removes the Queen’s gloved hands from around our necks so we can breathe”.

She said: “We do not welcome Kate and William. We do not want them here. We reject the photo ops that will be staged here for the UK’s consumption.”

Prof Rosalea Hamilton, one of the organisers and co-signatories of the letter, said it was “motivated by the fact that we are celebrating our 60 years of independence and many of us think we’ve grown up and we need to reflect on the historical injustices of Britain and the royal family – which we see as crimes against humanity. And we are hoping that through the open letter, we could communicate that we see nothing to celebrate over 70 years – those were very difficult years for Jamaica.”

“We are hopeful that in spite of what has happened, the royals can break with the past and create new opportunities for reconciliation and begin our process of reparatory justice,” she added.

The tour has been mired in controversy, with the royals forced to cancel their first trip in Belize, after opposition from villagers who cited a range of issues including objections to the Cambridges’ helicopter landing site.

Caribbean experts and Windrush campaigners have called for the royals to help Caribbean nations sever ties with the monarchy rather than persuade them to keep the Queen as head of state since they say this prevents them from achieving true independence.

The Cambridges are scheduled to visit ancient Maya ruins deep in the heartland of Belize on Monday. The couple will also attend a reception in celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee hosted by the governor general of Belize at the Maya ruins at Cahal Pech, near San Ignacio, where William is due to give a speech.

During their first full day in Belize on Sunday, the couple toured a cocoa farm and danced during a cultural visit to a nearby village.


Bottom line: they are not really welcome by the victims who became poor by making the British monarchy rich.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×