The Hague: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday officially apologised for 250 years of the Netherlands’ involvement in slavery, calling it a crime against humanity.
“Today on behalf of the Dutch government, I apologise for the past actions of the Dutch state,” Rutte said in a speech in The Hague. Dutch ministers are travelling to seven former colonies in South America and the Caribbean for the event.
Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch finance minister and deputy prime minister, said on an official visit to Suriname last week that a “process” would begin leading up to “another incredibly important moment on July 1 next year”.
Descendants of Dutch slavery will then celebrate 150 years of liberation from slavery in an annual celebration called “Keti Koti” (Breaking the Chains) in Surinamese.
But the plan has caused controversy, with groups and some of the affected countries criticising the move as rushed, and saying the lack of consultation by the Netherlands smacked of a still-colonial attitude.
As a result, Rutte has still not yet confirmed he will actually apologise, saying last week that details of his speech are “something that I would really like to keep under wraps until Monday”. Local media said “everything points to the fact that he will indeed apologise” for the Dutch role in a trade that caused centuries of untold misery, but it remained unsure. — AFP
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