During its first official visit to the UK, the Caribbean’s slavery reparations commission has rejected ‘misleading’ reports that it aims to drain the British Treasury. Prof Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), stated the group seeks a mutually beneficial restorative justice programme rather than punitive financial demands.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Sir Hilary emphasised the importance of raising awareness about the enduring harm caused by centuries of enslavement and colonisation. He noted that Caribbean nations were left with ‘no resources, bankrupt treasuries’ after independence, while Britain built its wealth through extraction from the region. The CRC, he said, wants collaboration, not extraction, to ‘clean up the mess left by colonialism so that we can all go forward together.’
The commission’s ultimate aim, outlined in a London lecture on Monday, is to identify ‘mutual strategies for mutual benefits’ between the UK and its former colonies. Sir Hilary decried attempts to discredit the movement as an ethical and moral argument for justice, pointing to ongoing consequences such as unfair debt, health and education challenges, and vulnerability to climate disasters.
David Comissiong, ambassador to Caricom and vice-chair of the Barbados National Taskforce, linked the region’s overburdened debt to centuries of European plunder. He warned that failing to address these injustices would worsen climate crises and refugee situations globally. ‘By seeking justice for ourselves, we are also seeking universal justice,’ he said.
The CRC delegation, comprising six members, is meeting UK parliamentarians, diplomats, academics and civil society groups this week to foster dialogue. Caribbean governments continue to call for a full apology and financial reparations, including debt cancellation, as part of a growing global movement for slavery reparations.
