The Caribbean asks Europe for slavery so that it does not happen again

The Prime Minister of Granada and outgoing president of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dickon Mitchell, demanded on Wednesday «repairs for transatlantic slavery» to ensure that this crime «never happens again.»

Mitchell directed these words directly to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who participated in the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the Heads of Government of Caricom in Barbados.

«I do not want to be improper, but I will tell you that the question of repairs for transatlantic slavery and the slavery of the African peoples is an issue that we will address with you,» he said.

Slavery as a historical debt of Europe

The Prime Minister of Granada, an old British colony, like most of the members of Caricom, said that he asks for this «for the cause of humanity.»

«As long as we do not reject openly and explicitly the idea that a human being can own another human being, we run the risk that this idea can somehow root again and allow him to flourish and happen again,» he said.

For Mitchell, as descendants of people who fought for their freedom, Caricom members must ensure that «appropriate compensation is paid and that the international community accepts that this never succeeds again.»

In response, von der Leyen said that «slavery is a crime against humanity,» in a message that attendees received with applause.

«The Caribbean and Europe need each other»

«The universal rights of each human being are untouchable and must be defended and you have always positioned themselves on the human rights side, a voice that has been heard throughout the world,» added the president of the European Commission.

For the European leader, «the Caribbean and Europe need each other more than ever to deal with the technological and economic challenges facing the world.»

Caricom members are Antigu and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Granada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, San Cristóbal and Nieve