Protests in Antigua ahead of a Commonwealth summit are escalating demands for the UK to acknowledge its historical role in the transatlantic slave trade, with activists calling for formal apologies and reparatory justice. Messages urging accountability—displayed on billboards, signs, and through vigils—highlight the enduring impact of slavery on the region, framing reparations as an unavoidable conversation. As King Charles and the UK prime minister arrive for the summit, Caribbean voices insist the issue cannot be ignored. The pressure reflects deep-seated calls for recognition of historical injustices tied to Britain’s colonial past.
Activists see meeting as opportunity to demand UK confront role in transatlantic enslavement“The royal family enslaved us! Apologise now! Reparatory justice now!”King Charles and the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, will be greeted with messages as they travel through Antigua’s capital, St John’s, to attend meetings at the Commonwealth leaders’ summit next week. On billboards, placards and T-shirts, in letters and at a candlelight vigil for the thousands of Africans trafficked to Antigua and Barbuda during the transatlantic slave trade, the message from the Caribbean will be pervasive: slavery reparations is not an issue they “are going to be able to dodge”. Continue reading...
