British Prime Minister Tony Blair will attempt today to draw a line under years of acrimonious debate by expressing "deep sorrow" for Britain's role in the slave trade nearly 200 years after the legislation that led to its abolition.
Blair will make the historic statement atoning for his country's involvement in slavery but will stop short of a full apology, despite pressure from some black campaigners and community leaders.
"It is hard to believe what would now be a crime against humanity was legal at the time," he will say. "I believe the bicentenary offers us a chance not just to say how profoundly shameful the slave trade was -- how we condemn its existence utterly and praise those who fought for its abolition -- but also to express our deep sorrow that it ever could have happened and rejoice at the better times we live in today."
The statement will appear in New Nation, a newspaper aimed at the black community, which has been campaigning for an apology for slavery in a statement to parliament.
Blair's decision to make a final statement on the issue will reignite the debate on the role of apology in modern politics. He was criticized when in 1997 he said he "reflected" on the deaths caused by the Irish potato famine. In Japan there has been a long and heated debate about whether that country should apologize for its actions during World War II.
According to notes seen in the possession of Baroness Amos, the leader of the House of Lords, earlier this month, Blair wanted to make a bold gesture that will be "internationally recognized" and will back a UN resolution by Caribbean countries to honor those who died at the hands of international slave traders. The notes suggested that Blair was willing to accommodate the requests of many campaigners and is "prepared to go further than [he is] being asked to."
The slavery issue has come to a head in the build-up to next March's bicentenary of the Slave Trade Act following a long and determined campaign.
Between 10 million and 28 million Africans were forcibly sent to the Americas and sold into slavery between 1450 and the early 19th century. Britain was then the dominant trader, transporting more than 300,000 slaves a year in shackles on disease-ridden boats.
An advisory committee chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, whose Hull constituency was once represented by the anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce, has been planning the 200th anniversary commemorations including a solution to how Britain should acknowledge its historic responsibility.
It was reported that Whitehall advisers had warned that a full apology could provoke claims for reparations, and that a briefing document suggested the phrase: "We regret and strongly condemn the evils of the transatlantic slave trade."
Blair has been closely advised by Amos.
Two years ago the Rendezvous of Victory drive said it would ask the Queen to issue an official apology on behalf of Britain next year. Its joint leader, Kofi Mawuli Klu, said last night that he was disappointed by the government's compromise.
"It's adding insult to the lingering injuries of the enslavement of African people by the European ruling classes," he said.
"It's totally unacceptable. The message is that if you commit crimes against African people you cannot be held responsible: even when you acknowledge that you have done wrong, you do not feel it necessary to apologize but make only a token gesture," he said.
"I would have like a stronger statement but it does seek to challenge the deniers, who don't admit that the British Empire caused so much social, physical and psychological damage," said Paul Stephenson, a black activist in Bristol.
Pressure on the government has grown. Several UK cities have appologized for their role in the trade while France has named Slavery Day to commemorate abolition.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was