King Charles III Faces Calls for Slavery Reparations From 12 Countries

King Charles III should use his coronation to give "a formal apology" for "the horrific impacts" of slavery and colonialism and commence "a process of reparatory justice," according to campaigners in 12 countries where he is king.

World leaders and royal family members will gather at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, to watch Charles and Queen Camilla be crowned.

However, not everyone will be celebrating the monarchy, which for some remains a symbol of Britain's imperial past. First Nations, Indigenous peoples and advocacy groups in 12 countries where Charles is king released a joint statement Wednesday, which was also sent to the king.

"We, the undersigned, call on the British Monarch, King Charles III, on the date of his coronation being May 6, 2023, to acknowledge the horrific impacts on and legacy of genocide and colonisation of the indigenous and enslaved peoples of Antigua and Barbuda, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

"Our collective Indigenous Rights Organisations among other organisations who are working to help our communities recover from centuries of racism, oppression, colonialism and slavery, now rightly recognized by the United Nations as 'Crimes Against Humanity,' also call for a formal apology and for a process of reparatory justice to commence."

Beyond an apology and reparations, the campaigners want the "return of all our cultural treasures and artefacts stolen from our peoples throughout the hundreds of years of genocide, enslavement, discrimination, massacre, and racial discrimination by the authorities empowered by the protection of the British crown."

And "the repatriation of all remains of our collective peoples that reside in UK museums and institutions and that represent our family histories, genealogies, cultural history and spiritual ancestry."

The statement comes after polling for Newsweek showed 35 percent of Americans believe Charles should apologize for slavery.

Among the groups involved is the Advocates Network, of Jamaica, which organized protests against Prince William and Kate Middleton during their disastrous tour of the Caribbean in March 2022.

Since then, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has committed to holding a referendum on whether to remove the king as head of state.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also drew attention to the history of British colonialism in their Netflix show, Harry & Meghan.

There have been debates in Britain too, and Professor Kate Williams, professor of Modern History at Reading University, recently told CNN's The Whole Story: "We are in flux in this country between do we acknowledge slavery, do we acknowledge empire, do we acknowledge how much that has made this country, you know, this tiny, tiny country one of the most richest and most powerful countries in the world?

"Or do we carry on with the idea of fair play and railways and that, you know, British influence is always benevolent?"

Groups who signed the letter include Antigua and Barbuda Reparation Support Commission, New Zealand Republic - Kia Mana Motuhake a Aotearoa, Te Pāti Māori (Māori Party), The Australian Republic Movement, Blak Sovereign Movement, The Bahamas National Reparations Committee, Maya Leaders Alliance, Kanan Miatsil (Guardians of Culture), British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, Grenada National Reparations Commission, Advocates Network, Yamaye (Jamaica) Council of Indigenous Leaders, Saint Kitts and Nevis National Reparations Committee, Saint Lucia National Reparations Committee, and The Garifuna Nation.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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