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Dutch king says more will follow after Rutte’s slavery apology
Following up on Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s speech seeking forgiveness for slavery, Dutch King Willem-Alexander said in his Christmas address that the government and the monarchy will remain invested in the matter beyond apologies.
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte addresses a speech on the Netherlands' involvement in slavery, in the National Archives in The Hague, on Dec. 19, 2022. Rutte officially apologized for 250 years of the Netherlands' involvement in slavery, calling it a crime against humanity. (AFP/ANP/Robin van Lonkhuijsen)
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ollowing up on Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s speech seeking forgiveness for slavery, Dutch King Willem-Alexander said in his Christmas address that the government and the monarchy would remain invested in the matter beyond apologies.
A “long journey” is now in the pipeline for the Netherlands, said King Willem-Alexander, inferring that Rutte’s apology to the country's former colonies, particularly seven Caribbean states, for 250 years of slavery was only a beginning to a more elaborate process of reconciliation.
"Nobody today bears responsibility for the inhumane acts that were inflicted on the lives of men, women and children," Willem-Alexander said from his palace of Huis ten Bosch in The Hague on Sunday as quoted from AFP.
"But by honestly facing our shared past and recognizing the crime against humanity that is slavery, we lay the ground for a shared future, a future in which we stand against all modern forms of discrimination, exploitation and injustice."
"The apology offered by the government is the start of a long journey."
The Dutch government said several major commemorative events would be held from next year and has announced a 200 million euro (US$212 million) fund for social initiatives, AFP reported.
The leaders of Caribbean island Sint Maarten and of Suriname in South America have regretted the lack of dialogue from the Netherlands over the apology, according to AFP.
