Caribbean reparations chief urges King Charles to back slavery talks

The chair of the Caribbean Community's (Caricom) Reparations Commission, Prof Hilary Beckles, has urged King Charles III to use his influence to advance slavery reparations talks at next month's Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

Speaking at a press conference before the summit, Beckles addressed the king as a "human brother" whose family he said had benefited from slavery. He appealed to Charles not primarily as head of the Commonwealth or as the UK's constitutional monarch, but as "a parent, a grandparent, a man today who reflects upon the history of his family". Beckles said he believed the king was aware that the wealth he is passing on to his children and grandchildren came from chattel slavery, and asked him to help turn the Commonwealth — historically "the site of this crime" — into a "moral institution committed to human justice".

The appeal comes as Caribbean leaders and groups press for a formal apology from Charles when he visits Guyana and the Bahamas next week, ahead of Chogm in Antigua. Commonwealth secretary-general Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told Sky News that an apology "wouldn't hurt" and that the "time has come" for a serious conversation about reparations.

Eric Phillips, who heads Guyana's reparations committee and is vice-chair of the Caricom commission, joined the calls. He described the king as a decent and enlightened monarch whose lifelong commitments reflect his character, adding that people in Guyana say "long live the king, so he can apologize and call for reparations".

Last month Jamaican officials lodged a landmark petition asking Charles for legal advice on a slavery reparations claim, which the privy council will hear in March. A palace spokesperson said at the time that Charles "has on many occasions expressed his personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today".

Draft communique concerns

David Comissiong, deputy chair of the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations, said he was concerned that a draft of the 2026 Chogm communique does not contain unanimous agreement on reparations commitments. He said one paragraph, reaffirming dialogue commitments made at the previous Commonwealth summit in Samoa and noting later developments at the UN, African Union and Caricom, was confirmed, but a second — mandating Commonwealth foreign ministers to advance discussions on historical harms from the transatlantic slave trade through "structured, inclusive, and good faith dialogue" — had not been unanimously agreed.

Demonstrations planned

Dorbrene O'Marde, chair of the Antigua and Barbuda reparations commission, said campaigners would raise reparations at the summit's major forums and that governments were expected to discuss the issue in their meetings. The movement will launch a "Global Reparations Caravan", described as an international effort combining advocacy, demonstrations and culture, at a separate event on 3 November. O'Marde said he expected demonstrations from groups "inflamed" by blanket statements ruling out an apology from the UK, which he called grossly insensitive to Caribbean citizens.

Beckles said the absence of a dedicated official event at Chogm did not make reparations peripheral. He called the meeting "the Chogm of reparations" and the "first round of reparations negotiations", adding that for Caribbean delegates and others with an interest in the global African movement it would be the top item on the table.

Source: The Guardian World.