Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke in The Hague on Monday in a government statement about historical crimes.
“We can recognize slavery in the clearest terms as a crime against humanity,” he said. The head of government recalled the “immeasurable suffering”: “For centuries, under Dutch state authority, human dignity has been trampled under foot in the most horrible way.”
The government also acknowledges that the consequences are still being felt today. She wants to work with descendants to process and alleviate the suffering. “We apologize posthumously to all enslaved people worldwide who have suffered from the act, their daughters and sons and all their descendants to this day,” Rutte said.
The Prime Minister addressed representatives of descendants of enslaved people. At the same time, seven ministers or state secretaries in the former colonies of Suriname and on six Caribbean islands personally delivered the government message.
In the run-up to the speech, there had been great outrage among relatives and in the former colonies. Associations felt ignored and wanted King Willem-Alexander to apologize on July 1, 2023. On that day 150 years ago, slavery officially ended in the colonies.
The Netherlands was once one of the largest colonial powers in the world. They enslaved an estimated 600,000 people. “The Dutch state and its agents have enabled, encouraged, perpetuated and benefited from slavery for centuries,” Rutte said.
As one of the last countries in Europe, the kingdom officially abolished slavery on July 1, 1863. But the people had to work on the plantations for another ten years.
The historic gesture is in response to a committee report. In July 2021, it officially advised the government to apologize and fight consequences such as racism.
(SDA)