Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Pastor urges religious leaders to condemn ‘reparation’ comments by Gov Jaspert

Pastor urges religious leaders to condemn ‘reparation’ comments by Gov Jaspert

Honestly Speaking radio moderator and pastor, Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline has urged local religious leaders to speak out against the Governor of the Virgin Islands (VI), Mr Augustus J.U. Jaspert, for his recent comments about reparations for slavery that have sparked outrage.

The Governor made the statements during a Monday, September 7, 2020, Facebook interview with 284 Media, where he also called for relics of slavery in the VI to be preserved.

“In terms of reparations, that’s not a position the United Kingdom has taken, that’s not something that here [VI], that’s is in the position, but I think it is always worth ensuring that we learn lessons from the past and we reflect on what a horrific period in history that was,” Governor Jaspert had said when asked about the possibility of compensation to the VI for slavery.


Honestly Speaking radio moderator, Claude O. Skelton-Cline has urged religions leaders to speak out against Governor of the Virgin Islands (VI) Mr Augustus J.U. Jaspert, over comments he made that currently, the UK has no intention to pay reparations to the Virgin Islands.



The Governor made the statements during a Monday, September 7, 2020, Facebook interview with 284 Media, where he also called for relics of slavery in VI to be preserved.


Governot still benefit from colonialism - Skelton-Cline


According to Skelton-Cline, “The monarch exists on the backs of black people, you work people from can’t see in the morning, to can’t see at night but you don’t understand the construct of reparations, of repair, of repay?”

He was at the time speaking on Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, noting that even in today’s era the governor remains a benefactor of slavery through his office and benefits from VI taxpayers dollars for vehicles and housing.

“While you [Governor Jaspert] benefit… of what was wreaked upon a people and yet come before those very people and speak in that manner and you don’t see anything wrong with this?

“And people of the Virgin Islands, we don’t see anything wrong with this? Are we that asleep? I know there has to be a majority of voices... calling for a public apology.”

Media & religious leaders called out


The commentator called on the media, talk show hosts, the Government and local religious leaders to denounce the comments against the people of the VI. “If you want to know what’s in a man's heart, the Bible says, listen to what is coming out of his mouth.”

Skelton-Cline further urged the Fahie administration to start a Reparations Commission to document the story of slavery in the VI and present to the United Nations and the UK for reparations to be paid to the Virgin Islands.

“How much longer we as a people will continue to tolerate this kind of a treatment from the United Kingdom and its representative? It's out of order and, Governor Jaspert, you need to apologise to the people of these Virgin Islands!” Mr Skelton-Cline stated.

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
×