Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Jul 06, 2025

Strong legal team behind Mike Henry’s push for reparation from Britain

Strong legal team behind Mike Henry’s push for reparation from Britain

An esteemed legal team of British and Caribbean counsels has been pulled together to push for reparation from Britain for the atrocities of the chattel slave system in the Caribbean historically.
In what is being viewed as a critical step to advance Jamaica’s unanimous vote in Parliament in 2015 to seek reparation from Britain, on April 14, veteran Clarendon Central Member of Parliament (MP), Mike Henry, one of the longest serving MPs in Jamaica’s history, spearheaded a virtual conference with leading legal, academic and historical minds to fast-forward his pitch for compensation from Britain for the stains of the slave system.

A release said the event included local, regional and British Queen’s Counsels, other senior legal scholars, long-time European advisers to Henry, Jamaican historians, and members of the National Council on Reparation (NCR).

The release added that conference was chaired by Edward Fitzgerald, Queen’s Counsel from London, with participation by, among others, Lawrence Cartier, attorney from the UK, who has helped to guide the legal aspects of Henry’s fight for reparation; Peter Hargitay, adviser to Henry on European affairs; Frank Phipps QC, who crafted a petition that is to be sent to the Queen in England; Ian Wilkinson QC, former President of the Jamaican Bar Association, who has come on board the drive for reparation; and Bert Samuels, Deputy Chairman of the NCR, along with resource person to shed light on the legal analysis of Jamaica’s legislation that governed slavery before emancipation.

Additionally, two new senior counsels – Douglas Mendes SC of the Trinidad and Tobago Bar, and Godfrey Smith QC of the Belize Bar – are said to have come on board since the conference.

A senior member of the Jamaican Government also reportedly attended the conference which was targeted “to form an opinion and advise Cabinet” of the progress that is being made.

The release said the NCR was formed in 2009, but with “slow progress for years thereafter”, Henry decided that there had to be a turnaround from “nuff talk and little action” on the matter.

With the support of eminent UK attorneys and his long-time advisers in London and the wider European continent, Henry is said to have decided to frontally tackle the need to drive home a reparation claim against Britain, and his latest effort on that track was the recent conference.

The release said after waiting some 14 years for action from successive governments on his private member’s motion from September 2007, and still somewhat in limbo as the mover of the motion, Henry decided to move forward by personally seeking to take a petition to the UK Privy Council.

In getting to this point, he is said to have made the decision after meeting with Public Defender, Arlene Harrison-Henry; Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding; Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, Anthony Hylton; and sending a letter to the Speaker of the House enquiring about why there has been no concrete action following the passing of the resolution on the motion.

In keeping with the resolution, Henry is said to have decided to personally pursue all the avenues that are available to him to ensure that the necessary actions are taken.

“The conference has shown the way forward and we have now set clear and short deadlines to file motions and start initiatives that are aimed at airing the demands by the Jamaican people whose descendants were unlawfully abducted from Africa and sold as chattel in Jamaica under British colonial rule,” said Henry in the release.

“The main thrust of the initiative is to seek compensation for the injustices against the former slaves,” he added.

“Whereas former slave and plantation owners received huge payments from the UK Government, those who were thrust into slavery were never considered, much less compensated.

“Added to that is the fact that slavery was illegal in the United Kingdom under common law, but was very much permitted in the colonies under British colonial rule. This fact alone allows for very serious questions of law, justice and human rights to be finally asked – not to mention the reality that crimes against humanity were committed by agents of the British and the colonial masters,” Henry further stated from a historical perspective.

The release said the conference group agreed to draw up preliminary final documents by no later than July 2021, and to start legal and other appropriate actions in the most suitable jurisdictions later this year.

With Jamaica’s head of state being the Queen of England, who is represented by the Governor General locally, the release said the GG is likely to be approached as part of the reparation initiative if the conference group so decides.

The conference group is said to be now engaged in a number of activities in law, media and international politics, and is to further advise on the necessary steps as the process advances.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×