The King of the Netherlands on Saturday, July 1, formally apologised for his country’s role in the slave trade, saying he felt “personally and intensely” affected.
Willem-Alexander, who ascended to the throne in 2013, made the apology in a speech in Amsterdam at an annual commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Netherlands’ Caribbean colonies.
The country became a major colonial power after the 17th Century, holding territories across the globe, and Dutch slave traders trafficked more than 600,000 people, BBC reports.
“Slave trading and slavery is recognised as a crime against humanity. The monarchs and rulers of the House of Orange took no steps against it. Slavery illustrates the injustices of these laws.
Today I’m standing here in front of you as your King and as part of the government. Today I am apologising myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul. Today, I am asking for forgiveness for the crystal-clear lack of action,” he said.
Vanguard
