‘Neocolonial belch’: what can Britain learn from backlash to Dutch slavery apology?
Summary
Andy Burnham has pledged to seek dialogue with former colonies as Britain considers its first formal state apology for slavery, while ruling out reparations. The Netherlands’ experience shows that apologies can acknowledge historical harm but may not resolve descendants’ calls for change and justice.Key Facts
- The Netherlands began a series of public apologies in 2021, starting with Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema.
- In December 2022, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized on behalf of the government for the Dutch state’s role in slavery.
- Rutte said the Dutch state had enabled, encouraged and profited from slavery for more than 250 years.
- The article estimates Dutch merchants trafficked about 600,000 enslaved Africans across the Atlantic and between 660,000 and 1 million across the Indian Ocean and East Indies.
- The Netherlands legally abolished slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean in 1863, but enslaved people there did not gain freedom until 1873.
- Dutch campaigners began demanding accountability in the 1980s, and slavery entered the school curriculum in 2006.
- Linda Nooitmeer, a former chair of NiNsee, said the apology helped restore ancestors’ humanity but had not resolved concerns about the rights of people of African descent.
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