In the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander welcomed in his Christmas speech Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology last week for the country’s slavery past. Dutch royalty assures that it will remain “ involved in the commemorative year which is due to begin on July 1, 2023, 150 years after the effective abolition of slavery in the former Dutch colonies.
With our regional correspondent, Laure Broulard
” The government’s apology is the start of a long road are the words spoken by the King of the Netherlands in The Hague. ” By honestly confronting our shared past and acknowledging the crime against humanity of slavery, we lay the foundation for a shared future. “, he added.
Royalty therefore supports the position of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who presented Monday, December 19 an official apology for the role of the Netherlands in the trafficking of approximately 600,000 Africans transported by ship to its former colonies – Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles – and enslaved between the 16th and 19th centuries.
However, the subject is not unanimous in the country: according to a recent survey, less than 40% of Dutch adults were in favor of an official apology.
Organizations commemorating slavery would have preferred that this apology be presented on July 1, 2023, exactly 160 years after abolition. While voices were raised in the former colonies to demand compensation.