UK govt rules out slavery reparations as Jamaica presses issue

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—The United Kingdom government on Monday reiterated its rejection of calls for the payment of slavery reparations after a Jamaican minister said Kingston would file a petition addressed to King Charles during a visit on Monday.

Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange will lead a delegation “to advance Jamaica’s push for reparations for the African ancestors who suffered under hundreds of years of enslavement”, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Modern British royals have expressed remorse for the brutal slave trade that enriched their ancestors, but have stopped short of a formal apology or any commitment to reparations.