Jamaica takes slavery reparations push directly to King Charles in fresh legal move

Jamaica takes slavery reparations push directly to King Charles in fresh legal move The move comes as Jamaica continues to press Britain over the legacy of slavery, including compensation paid to slave owners and the return of colonial-era artefacts Jamaica is set to take its push for slavery reparations directly to King Charles as it seeks answers over Britain’s legal responsibility for centuries of enslavement. The country’s government will formally present a petition on Monday asking the King, who remains Jamaica’s head of state, to refer three legal questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Jamaica’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, Olivia Grange said the move could help pave the way toward a “long outstanding settlement for the hundreds of years of the most horrific abuse that our African ancestors endured”. The petition is not itself a demand for payment, but seeks legal clarity on whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was lawful under English law, whether it breached international law, and whether Britain now has a legal duty to provide redress. Grange said: “Once we get the answers, or once we get a response to those questions, then the next steps will be determined.” King Charles has no personal discretion over whether the matter is referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and will act on advice. But Buckingham Palace has been working with the Governor General of Jamaica to make sure the petition is lodged correctly. A Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty has on many occasions expressed his personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.” The move comes as Jamaica continues to press Britain over the legacy of slavery and colonial rule. When slavery was abolished across most of the British Empire in 1833, the government paid £20million in compensation to slave owners. The loans used to fund those payments were not fully repaid until 2015. Grange said: "Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters, because we were being considered property. The question really should be: if in modern times we’re still paying back the slave masters for the property that was our people, our ancestors, for property that was because of the abolition of slavery, then why shouldn’t we be pursuing some remedy at this time?" The British government has so far rejected calls for an apology or reparations. During a visit to Jamaica in 2015, then-prime minister David Cameron ruled out reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade. Speaking to MPs in Jamaica’s parliament, Cameron said slavery was "abhorrent in all its forms". He added that he hoped they could “move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future”. King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, previously spoke publicly about the horrors of slavery. He said: "The appalling atrocity of the slave trade, and the unimaginable suffering it caused, left an indelible stain on the history of our world." The petition is being filed around the anniversary of the day in 1781 when the Liverpool-registered slave ship Zong left West Africa carrying 442 enslaved Africans. As water supplies ran low during the journey to Jamaica, members of the crew threw 132 men, women and children overboard after calculating an insurance claim for their deaths would be more profitable than selling weakened captives. Public outrage over the massacre later became part of the growing campaign against slavery in Britain. The slave trade was abolished in 1807, although slavery itself was not outlawed across most of the British Empire until 1834. Speaking ahead of the petition being filed, Grange told The Associated Press: “In relation to the wrongs that were done, we want answers.” She added: “Once we get those answers, then our attorneys, our lawyers, will determine what the next move is.” Jamaica will also use the visit to push for the return of artefacts removed during the colonial era. Grange is due to meet British Museum officials to “advance discussions on the repatriation of artefacts” taken from Jamaica. She said: “They are priceless, they are significant to the story of Jamaica and we are working to bring them home.”