Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has stated that Caribbean leaders are supporting Jamaica’s appeal to King Charles regarding reparations as the region intensifies its efforts to seek justice for slavery.
Speaking during this week’s Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit, which includes 20 member and associate member states, Holness noted that Jamaica’s petition has received widespread regional backing. The country is officially represented by Charles as its head of state.
The petition calls on the king to seek legal guidance from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London—the highest court of appeal for certain UK territories and Commonwealth nations—on whether the forced transportation of Africans to Jamaica was lawful, if it amounted to a crime against humanity, and whether Britain has a duty to provide compensation for the lasting effects of slavery.
During the transatlantic slave trade, more than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken to the Americas, including Jamaica, where they were enslaved.
Holness credited Jamaican lawmaker Mike Henry, who proposed the resolution that was later approved by parliament and the cabinet, and described the petition as a significant move toward justice. He called it a defining moment for Caricom and the global movement for reparations.
If successful, the petition would establish a legal obligation for the UK to compensate Jamaica for the lasting damage caused by slavery, Holness stated.
Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange, who announced the petition earlier this year, told CuriosityNews that its impact would be significant for regional reparation efforts.
She stressed that regional nations are united in their approach. While each country may decide its own actions, she said, they all support Jamaica’s position. This unity, she noted, is what matters most.
Other leaders reaffirmed their commitment, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, a key figure in the Caricom reparations movement, who vowed to continue the fight.
He emphasized the Caribbean’s responsibility to seek reparations for the genocide of Indigenous people and the enslavement of Africans, stating that the cause will be discussed during the upcoming Africa-Caricom summit in Ethiopia this September.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne underscored the issue as a matter of justice, pointing out that enslaved people were not paid for their labor, while profits were sent to Europe and North America.
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