Jamaica seeks £7.6 billion in reparations for slavery during London visit

Jamaica is intensifying its campaign for £7.6 billion in reparations for slavery by lobbying King Charles III. A government delegation has arrived in London with a petition directed at Buckingham Palace. Jamaica aims to receive answers to questions in the petition and engage in discussions with the Foreign Office as part of its efforts to secure reparations from UK taxpayers. The campaign highlights that in 1833, following Britain's abolition of slavery, compensation was paid to slave owners rather than to the enslaved individuals. The £20 million compensation, which represented 40 percent of the Treasury's annual income at the time, necessitated a significant loan that was only repaid in 2015. Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange stated upon arrival in the UK, 'Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters because we were 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 ancestors, because of the abolition of slavery, why shouldn't we be pursuing some remedy at this time?' She acknowledged that some UK taxpayers might object to the reparations claim, but suggested that many may feel answers are warranted. The petition will be presented to King Charles as Jamaica's head of state, requesting him to pose three questions to the Privy Council: whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law; whether it violated international law; and whether Britain has a legal obligation to provide redress. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council serves as the highest court of appeal for Commonwealth nations, and its five judges could review these inquiries. British governments have consistently stated they will not pay reparations for slavery. A royal source indicated that the King does not have personal discretion in making referrals to the Privy Council. However, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson noted, 'His Majesty has on many occasions expressed his commitment to finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.' Over 12 million Africans were forcibly taken across the Atlantic to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries, many of whom were brought to British sugar plantations in Jamaica. Minister Grange is also scheduled to meet with British Museum officials to request the return of three carvings taken from Jamaica in 1792. These include a birdman figure, a representation of a rain-making god, and a carving used in ritualistic drug consumption, all created by the island's original inhabitants, the Taino, who were largely decimated by European diseases following their arrival.