Jamaica to formally seek slavery reparations from Britain
Jamaica's ministerial delegation will formally present a petition on slavery reparations to King Charles during a visit to London.
The Jamaican government has announced plans to file a petition on slavery reparations with the King during a visit to London, according to Dailymail reporting. The petition will ask Charles, as Jamaica's head of state, to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is the Caribbean island's highest court of appeal.
As detailed in Dailymail coverage, the delegation will be led by Olivia Grange MP, Jamaica's minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport. The petition will ask King Charles, as Jamaica's head of state, to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is the Caribbean island's highest court of appeal. This statute empowers the British monarch to refer legal matters to the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for an advisory opinion.
According to Sg reporting, the delegation said the filing of the petition on Monday would be the first time a Commonwealth State has used this particular legal route 'for the cause of reparatory justice'. Jamaica, which was a British colony until 1962, was a hub for the transatlantic slave trade with as many as one million Africans transported to the Caribbean island between the 1500s and the 1800s. More broadly, an estimated 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken by European nations from the 16th to the 19th century, and those who survived the trip across the Atlantic Ocean were enslaved on plantations in the Caribbean and elsewhere under brutal conditions.
Earlier this year, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage defended his party's proposal to block visa requests from a British Overseas Territory if its government demands slavery reparations. Reform named Montserrat on a list of countries and territories from which the party would limit legal migration, if their leaders continued to ask London to compensate for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
A group of Caribbean leaders met senior clergy from the Church of England in July, as the push for slavery reparations intensified. In recent years, the UK has said it will not pay to make amends for slavery, while Caribbean leaders have called for a formal apology and various measures including debt cancellations.
Jamaica has also indicated it will have a meeting with the British Museum to discuss 'the repatriation of cultural artefacts taken from Jamaica'.
| Event / Phase | Location / Entity | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Ecumenical Service | New Park Road Baptist Church, south London | Remembrance, justice, and repair |
| Political Engagement | Westminster | Formal petition lodging and policy talks |
| Cultural Meetings | British Museum | Repatriation of Jamaican cultural artefacts |
| Museum Event | National Windrush Museum | Community and historical engagement |
A programme of events has been organised to coincide with the petition filing, including an ecumenical church service 'focused on remembrance, justice and repair', at the New Park Road Baptist Church in south London on Sunday. This will be followed by a political engagement event in Westminster on Monday and an event with the National Windrush Museum on Wednesday.
"The petition filing will be a milestone moment in Jamaica's history. As members of the Commonwealth, our citizens are exercising their right to petition the King to ask him to refer the issue of slavery reparations to the Privy Council. We look forward to a positive programme of engagement around this issue."
Olivia Grange, Jamaica's minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, via Dailymail and Sg
The petition will ask King Charles, as Jamaica's head of state, to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is the Caribbean island's highest court of appeal.
