Jamaica Officials Deliver Slavery Reparations Petition to King Charles

The Petition Delivered

Jamaican officials delivered a formal petition to King Charles III on Monday seeking £7.6 billion in reparations for slavery. The group led by Culture Minister Olivia Grange asks the King to refer three legal questions to the country’s highest court. This move marks the first time a Commonwealth nation has tried this specific route for reparations, per the Daily Wire.

The filing targets the 1781 departure of the Zong, a slave ship where the crew threw more than 130 captives overboard. Officials timed the handover to match the anniversary of that atrocity. Buckingham Palace confirmed the King received the document but noted he holds no personal power to act on it alone.

Grange stated the petition asks whether the forced transport of Africans violated English common law or international law. It also questions if Britain has a legal duty to provide a remedy. The minister said she wants answers before pushing for any financial settlement.

Historical Claims and Costs

This quote comes directly from her remarks ahead of the handover. The BBC reported she will also meet with British Museum officials to discuss returning artifacts taken during colonial times.

Historical records show Britain paid £20 million to slave owners when it abolished slavery in 1833. Those loans used to raise the money were not paid off until 2015. Grange argued that paying slave masters for so long makes it right to seek a remedy now.

Breitbart News noted that Britain acted unilaterally to end the trade after 1807. The Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron freed about 150,000 African slaves while stopping other nations’ ships. This effort cost thousands of British sailors their lives over many decades.

Legal Hurdles and Next Steps

Constitutional law scholar Craig Prescott told ABC News that Jamaica’s move was “quite clever” because it revives an old petitioning right. He warned that the Judicial Committee usually resists such petitions since they skip normal legal channels. A rejection might still help Jamaica’s political goal to leave the monarchy entirely.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has already signaled he intends to pursue severing ties with the monarchy. The petition carries support from the 23-member Caribbean Community. Britain has consistently refused to apologize or commit to paying reparations for past actions.

When the United Nations passed a resolution in March supporting reparations, the United Kingdom abstained from voting. They argued that past conduct must be judged by the laws existing at the time. No date is set for the Privy Council to answer the three legal questions.