Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died in Scotland on the 8th, and her son Crown Prince Charles immediately succeeded to the throne as king of the United Kingdom. Reuters noted on the 9th that politicians and activists in some Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean took the opportunity to renew their appeals, demanding the abolition of the British monarch's status as head of state in the local area and demanding that the United Kingdom pay compensation for historical slavery.
Reuters: As soon as Charles ascended the throne, the Caribbean renewed its call for a break from the monarchy and demanded compensation from britain
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, more than 10 million Africans fell victim to the transatlantic slave trade in European countries, and those who survived were forced to sell coolies on plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas. Charles's succession to the Throne of England has once again provoked calls in the Caribbean for British reparations and the abolition of the British King as head of state.
The Prime Minister of Jamaica said that Jamaica would mourn Elizabeth II. The Prime Minister of the Central American country of Antigua and Barbuda ordered the flag to be lowered to half-mast on the day of the Queen's funeral.
Charles and Elizabeth II attend parliament opening ceremony together in 2019 (Reuters)
But in other places, doubts have been expressed about what role the British monarch should play in the 21st century. Earlier this year, at the Commonwealth Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, some member leaders expressed concern about the transfer of the organization's leadership from Elizabeth II to Charles.
Niambi Hall-Campbell, a 44-year-old scholar and chairman of the National Reparations Committee of the Bahamas, said on the 8th: "With the role of the monarchy changing, we hope that this can be an opportunity to promote the discussion of reparations in the region." ”
Hall-Campbell expressed his condolences to the Queen's family and noted that Charles had acknowledged Britain's "heinous slavery atrocities" at a ceremony last year on the occasion of the founding of the Republic of Barbados, an eastern Caribbean island nation. On 30 November 2021, Barbados announced its secession from the Commonwealth and officially established itself as a republic, with Governor-General Sandra Mason officially replacing queen Elizabeth II as head of Barbados.
Hall-Campbell said she wants Charles to lead the country in a way that reflects "the times demand justice," which is "compensatory justice."
On November 30, 2021, Governor Sandra Mason of Barbados was sworn in as the country's first president, and Charles was present to witness the transition. Surging image platform
After Barbados seceded from the Commonwealth, Jamaica, also a member of the Commonwealth, said it might soon follow Barbados' ability to escape from British royal rule. A survey in August showed that 56 per cent of Jamaicans supported the abolition of the British monarch's head of state status. The Jamaican government also announced last year that it planned to require Britain to pay compensation for the laborers that had historically forced some 600,000 Africans to work on sugar cane and banana plantations, who had created wealth for British slave owners.
Mikael Phillips, an opposition member of Jamaica's parliament, submitted a motion in 2020 to express support for getting rid of the British monarchy.
Phillips said again on the 8th: "I hope that as the Prime Minister said in one of his speeches, when the new king (of the United Kingdom) takes office, he will speed up the pace (to get rid of the monarchy)." ”
Rosalea Hamilton, a Jamaican reparations advocate, said Charles's speech on slavery at the Kigali conference "somehow shows the hope that he will learn from history and understand the pain and impact of many countries 'to this day' and the need to resolve the reparations matter." ”
In March, Prince William and his wife Kate traveled to Jamaica and other countries for an eight-day visit, but the two were met with different forms of protests by local populations over the atrocities of slavery in Britain's history. An advocacy coordinated by Hamilton had issued an open letter calling on William and Kate to "apologize and make restitution" during the visit.
"The Queen's grandchildren have the opportunity to dominate the reparations negotiations." Hamilton said.
David Denny, secretary general of the Caribbean Peace and Integration Movement from Barbados, believes that whoever takes over as King of the United Kingdom should be allowed to pay compensation to the people of Africa, "We should all work to keep the Royal Family from being our head of state." ”
Allen Chastanet, former prime minister of Saint Lucia and current leader of the opposition, similarly said he supported the restructuring of his country into a republic, a "universal" trend.
"At this point, I will certainly support the establishment of a republic." He said.
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