Prince Edward and his wife Sophie arrived in St Vincent as part of a seven-day Caribbean tour, minutes after, activists protested to demand reparations for slavery amid growing scrutiny of the British Empire’s colonial legacy.
Lawyer Jomo Thomas was among the protesters who lined up at the Diamond athletic track’s entrance. Prince Edward is meeting with athletes preparing for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Birmingham this summer. (VIDEO)
Thomas, in his Plain Talk column published on Friday under the caption ‘colonialism comes to town’, wrote:
“Edward and his British entourage should not be feted in our land. Paramount Chief Chatoyer turns in his grave, Commander Duvalier cringes, and those ancestors corralled and exiled look on in horror as our neo-colonial leaders lay down the red carpet for the invaders”.
This is not the first Caribbean country where the Royals have faced protests over slavery and reparations.
During the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Jamaica, dozens of people gathered outside the British High Commission in Kingston, singing traditional Rastafarian songs and holding banners with the phrase “seh yuh sorry” – a local patois phrase that urged Britain to apologize.
Also during their tour of Belize, the Duke and Duchess encountered protests.
For those wondering why not just the British government but the Royal Family are being asked by Caribbean nations to apologise for slavery, look no further than the Royal African Company.
Set up in the 17th Century with a charter granted by King Charles II, this company – with royal blessing – brought tens of thousands of captive Africans to the Americas.
George II was a prominent supporter of the slave trade and plantations. Slavery was sanctioned by the Royal Family at its inception.
This is why members of Grenada’s Reparations Commission on slavery wished to meet with the Earl and Countess of Wessex during their visit – and doubtless why the Palace felt this would be a fraught encounter.
No explanation was given for Edward and Sophie’s decision to cancel their Grenada trip at the last minute.
