When British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Jamaica this week, he rebuffed calls to apologize for the transatlantic slave trade and discuss reparations. Instead, he announced that Britain will contribute close to $38 million towards the building of a new prison — which he hopes will be used to house Jamaicans deported after committing crimes in Britain.
The offer hasn’t gone over well as Cameron probably hoped.
The offer hasn’t gone over well as Cameron probably hoped.
“It’s an insult to the people of Jamaica,” Jamaican lawmaker Mike Henry told the BBC, referring to Cameron’s refusal to discuss reparations.
Henry, who boycotted Cameron’s parliamentary address, led the effort to force a vote on reparations in the Jamaican Parliament, which took place in January. The motion, which passed unanimously, stated that on behalf of those who were enslaved, Jamaica is entitled to receive reparations equivalent to what former slave owners received after abolition.
The motion also stated that any money Jamaica received would be used to pay off Jamaica’s debt and fund education, infrastructure, and health care, with a portion set aside for African Jamaicans to be repatriated to Africa.
Leading up to Cameron’s visit, Jamaican leaders called on the U.K. to acknowledge its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade by opening talks about reparations, but Downing Street has not conceded to their requests.
Read more:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/01/britain-to-jamaica-in-lieu-of-reparations-heres-a-prison/Sometimes, though I hate to admit it, Cameron has style. For a toff, anyway.
