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The Jamaican government is set to present a petition to King Charles on Monday concerning slavery reparations, according to the nation’s culture minister, Olivia Grange. This petition seeks for the King, who is Jamaica’s head of state, to submit three specific legal questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), which serves as the highest court in Jamaica. These questions focus on the legality of the enslavement of Africans under English and international law, as well as whether Britain currently holds a legal obligation to provide reparations.
Minister Grange explained that the petition could open the door to addressing “the hundreds of years of the most horrific abuse that our African ancestors endured.” Alongside the petition, Grange is scheduled to engage with officials from the British Museum to discuss the return of artefacts that were taken during colonial times. The three queries submitted to the JCPC seek to clarify if the enslavement was lawful according to English law, if it violated international law, and if the United Kingdom is legally responsible for reparations today.
The process will see the petition first directed to King Charles, who does not have personal discretion over whether to refer the matter to the JCPC; this step is procedural. Grange stated, “Once we get the answers, or once we get a response to those questions, then the next steps will be determined.” Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has coordinated with Jamaica’s Governor General to ensure the petition is properly submitted. A spokesperson from the Palace affirmed the King’s commitment to fostering understanding about slavery and addressing historical injustices for the benefit of modern communities.
Reflecting on the historical context, when slavery was abolished across much of the British Empire in 1833, the government compensated slave owners with £20 million—a debt that was only fully repaid by 2015. Grange pointed out the irony of this arrangement, saying, “Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters, because we were being considered property.” She questioned, “if in modern times we’re still paying back the slave masters for the property that was our people, our ancestors, for property that was because of the abolition of slavery, then why shouldn’t we be pursuing some remedy at this time?” Furthermore, Grange emphasized the cultural importance of the artefacts held in the British Museum, stating their significance to Jamaica’s history and the ongoing efforts to have them returned. It is worth noting that in 2015, then British Prime Minister David Cameron ruled out reparations during a visit to Jamaica, acknowledging slavery as “abhorrent in all its forms,” and expressing hope to move forward from the painful legacy
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