Jamaica slavery compensation mission to UK draws attention

A high-profile visit to the United Kingdom this past week by a top-level Jamaican government delegation has drawn much attention throughout the UK and further aflied for its purpose - and what some regard as its sheer audacity.

The delegation, headed by Jamaica’s Minister of Culture Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, has petitioned Britain’s King Charles III on the controversial matter of slavery reparations.

There has been extensive UK and international media coverage, along with wide-ranging public discussion on UK and global social media channels, with opinions divided on the principles and practicalities of the mission.

Min. Grange has had to put the mission in perspective amid some media reports claiming that Jamaica was seeking reparations from the UK calculated in the region of £7.6 billion(around US$10.4 billion).

In a social media post following a flurry of events and media engagements, she clarified the objective of the Jamaica delegation: “I was asked to explain Jamaica’s presence in the UK to file a petition on King Charles 111 pursuant to Section 4 of the Judicial Committee Act of 1833…Jamaica embarked on a purely legal route to ask the King to refer three questions of fundamental constitutional importance to the Jamaican people.”

The landmark petition to King Charles asked him to seek legal guidance on whether the forced transportation and enslavement of Africans in Jamaica constituted a crime against humanity, and whether Britain has an obligation to provide restitution for slavery and its enduring consequences.

King Charles himself was not present to accept the petition from the Jamaican delegation. He was on vacation. The petition was formally filed through official channels.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said the King had often expressed his personal and profound sorrow at the suffering caused by slavery and had made a personal commitment to deepening understanding of the issue and to finding ways to address historical wrongs for the benefit of present-day communities.

Meanwhile, an official speaking on behalf of the UK Prime Minister’s Office has reiterated the standard position adopted by previous British governments, stating that “the UK does not and will not pay reparations”.

The spokesperson added that the transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent and that it was right to acknowledge the wrongs of the past, but said the government would continue to focus on the future and work with other countries on shared challenges.

SORDID ANNIVERSARY

The Jamaican slavery petition mission to the UK coincided with the anniversary of one of the more sordid chapters in the history of the brutality of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. On September 7th 1781, the Liverpool-registered ship Zong set sail from West Africa bound for Jamaica with over 400 enslaved Africans on board as cargo. En route, with supplies running low, a decision was made to jettison some of that ‘cargo’ and claim insurance compensation for lost property rather than offering their weakened human captives for sale at a slave market where they would fetch a lower price.

Regarding the next steps in the process, Min. Greaves has stated that they want answers, adding, “Once we get those answers, then our attorneys, our lawyers, will determine what the next move is.”
The Jamaica mission to the UK on the slavery reparations issue was the second regional high-profile visit this year drawing attention to the issue.

In July, a delegation from the CARICOM Reparations Commission held a series of official engagements in the UK with lawmakers, officials, and media, as well as other public engagements.

Much attention on the Caribbean slavery reparations debate and demand has on the compensation that the UK paid to plantation owners when slavery was abolished in 1833. The government at that time took out a loan of £20 million to cover the cost, which was only paid off in 2015 via several financial measures that accrued over time.