Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday officially apologized for 250 years of the Netherlands' involvement in slavery, calling it a crime against humanity.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks at the National Archives in The Hague, on December 19, 2022 during which he officially apologized for 250 years of the Netherlands' involvement in slavery, calling it a crime against humanity. Robin van Lonkhuijsen/ ANP/ AFP
"Today on behalf of the Dutch government, I apologize for the past actions of the Dutch state," Rutte said in a speech in The Hague. 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."
At the height of its colonial empire, the United Provinces known today as the Netherlands possessed colonies like Suriname, the Caribbean island of Curacao, South Africa and Indonesia, where the Dutch East India Company was based in the 17th century. Pressure has been growing at home with the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht formally apologizing for the slave trade.
The fact that another Dutch minister sent to Suriname, Franc Weerwind, is himself of Surinamese descent sparked criticism from the slavery restitution group there on the grounds that he is a "descendant of enslaved people."
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dutch expected to apologize for 250 years of slaveryTHE HAGUE -- The Netherlands looks set Monday to finally embark on a path leading to a formal apology for its tainted 250-year history of slavery. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is giving a
Read more »
Dutch man dies after fireworks explosionA young Dutch man has died in hospital after he was severely injured when powerful fireworks exploded in his face, Dutch police said on Sunday.
Read more »
UK’s Sunak to attend Baltic summit, meet UK troops in EstoniaBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet his Nordic, Baltic and Dutch counterparts at the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in the Latvian capital Riga on Monday, before heading to Estonia to meet British and Nato troops, the government said.
Read more »
Australia foreign minister to visit China as diplomatic ties improveAustralian Foreign minister Penny Wong will visit China this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, signaling an improvement in diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra. | Reuters
Read more »
Duterte recognizes Sison’s legacy but hopes for end of insurgency - BusinessWorld OnlineFORMER PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte acknowledged the historical legacy left by Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison, but said his death “marks the end of an era” of armed struggle. Mr. Sison, who died at the age of 83 on Friday in the Netherlands where he had been living in exile since […]
Read more »
Philippine Communist Party founder Sison dies in exile at 83 - BusinessMirrorMANILA, Philippines — Jose Maria Sison, the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose armed wing has been waging one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies, has died. He was 83. Sison died peacefully late Friday after two weeks of confinement in a hospital in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the party's spokesman, Marco Valbuena, said in
Read more »