Here’s hoping he doesn’t.
Ahead of his Coronation, King Charles has been told by representatives from 12 Commonwealth countries to acknowledge and apologise for the impact and ongoing legacy from British ‘genocide and colonisation’.
[…] Signatories to the statement include representatives from Australia, New Zealand, The Bahamas and Canada.
The statement said: “Our collective Indigenous Rights Organisations among other organisations who are working to help our communities recover from centuries of racism, oppression, colonialism and slavery, now rightly recognized by the United Nations as ‘Crimes Against Humanity,’ also call for a formal apology and for a process of reparatory justice to commence.”
[…] One of the representatives, Australian senator Lidia Thorpe, said: “The British monarchy oversaw the oppression of First Nations peoples in British colonies all over the world.
“The horrific impacts of British colonisation, including the genocide of our people, theft of our land and denigration of our culture, are still felt today.”
[…] In early April, the King expressed his support for the first time for research into the historical links between the British monarchy and the transatlantic slave trade.
Buckingham Palace said Charles takes the issues “profoundly seriously” and the royal household will help with the academic project by offering access to the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.
Which translated is Charles saying “meh” and “but you can have a look around if you want”.
Here’s few inconvenient facts for Thorpe and her ilk. The British Empire was the first major world power to abolish the transatlantic slave trade, enacting the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807 and later the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. Before the arrival of the Europeans, Maori had a life expectancy of 30 to 35 years, living as hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers and subject to intertribal warfare. And the accidental introduction of new diseases is not genocide, not even close.
As for “theft” of artifacts and land these need to be dealt with on a case by case basis and apologies issued where appropriate.
Make no mistake. This is a power test. If Charles does apologise, that will only be the start of it.
If I was Charlie I’d be demanding a big fat ‘Thank you’.
