Former British Prime Minister William Gladstone’s descendants have apologised for their family’s slaveholding past in Guyana, and urged the United Kingdom to discuss reparations in the Caribbean.
Records have it that Gladstone’s father was one of the largest slaveholders in the parts of the Caribbean colonised by Britain.
It was also stated that John Gladstone is believed to have owned two ships that transported thousands of Asians from India and elsewhere to work as indentured laborers after the abolition of slavery in 1834.
At a launch for the University of Guyana’s International Centre for the Study of Migration and Diaspora, Charles Gladstone, William’s great-great grandson said “Slavery was a crime against humanity and its damaging impact continues to be felt across the world today”.
He added that “It is with deep shame and regret that we acknowledge our ancestor’s involvement in this crime and with heartfelt sincerity that we apologise to the descendants of the enslaved in Guyana”.
“We also urge other descendants of those who benefited from slavery to open conversations about their ancestors’ crimes and what they might be able to do to build a better future.”
The Gladstones also apologised for their role in indentureship.
However, local reports said his words were met with a strong rebuke by several Guyanese descendants of African slaves present at the university lecture hall.
“It is not accepted,” one of them shouted. The protesters held placards that read: “Your guilt is real Charlie. Move quickly to reparations now,” and “The Gladstones are murderers.”
Speaking with newsmen, Afro-Guyanese activist Nicole Cole, who was among the protesters, said the apology was insufficient.
She said “No apology can suffice but it is a step towards recognising that a crime was committed and that people’s lives have been disrupted”.
Meanwhile, Charles Gladstone and five other family members vowed to support the work of the new university department and called on the United Kingdom to hold talks with the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on reparations.
It was gathered that besides a “sincere formal apology,” the right of repatriation for descendants of “stolen people” and debt cancellation to clean up the “colonial mess,” CARICOM is seeking a development programme for their member states’ indigenous communities and the funding of cultural institutions such as slavery museums.
A member of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, Eric Phillips said research showed the British owe the descendants of Africans in Guyana more than US$1.2 trillion.
Remarkably, Charles Gladstone reportedly told newsmen that, while he could not comment on the actual monetary figure, the United Kingdom and governments in Europe may be “frightened of the amount.”
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