Dutch King offers apology for his country’s involvement in colonial era slavery

Dutch King Willem-Alexander has made a historic apology for the Netherlands’ involvement in slavery during the colonial era. The apology was delivered on Saturday as the country commenced an official event to commemorate 150 years since the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies.

Addressing the audience at the “Keti Koti” event, which means “breaking chains” in Sranan Tongo, the Creole language spoken in Suriname, the king expressed his apology as both the king and a representative of the government. Descendants from Suriname and the Dutch overseas territories of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao participated in the event.

This apology by the Dutch king follows Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology last year for the Netherlands’ historical role in atrocities. It is part of a broader introspection on colonial histories in the Western world, prompted in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Although slavery was officially abolished in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean colonies on July 1, 1863, many enslaved individuals were compelled to continue working on plantations for another 10 years. The commemoration event and the king’s speech marked the beginning of a series of planned events to honor the 150th anniversary of July 1, 1873.

Recent research revealed that the king’s ancestors accumulated wealth equivalent to 545 million euros (USD 595 million) from slavery, including profits from gifted shares. Around 600,000 individuals were transported from Africa to Dutch colonies in the Americas, and many Javanese and Balinese people were also enslaved under Dutch colonial rule in South Africa.

While Prime Minister Rutte acknowledged the royal house’s involvement in slavery and the slave trade in December, no reparations were offered to the descendants of the enslaved individuals. Instead, the government established a 200 million euro (USD 217 million) fund aimed at addressing the legacy of slavery and improving education on the subject in the Netherlands and its former colonies.

However, some individuals in the Netherlands remain dissatisfied. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march prior to the king’s speech, demanding reparations and declaring, “No healing without reparations.”