Dutch King Willem-Alexander Apologises for Country's Historic Role in Slavery

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Facts

  • King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands publicly apologized for the country's involvement in historical slavery on Saturday. The monarch spoke at a ceremony recognizing the 160th anniversary of slavery's abolition in the state.1
  • The Dutch King requested "forgiveness" for the "crime against humanity" and stated that the apology was a personal one, which came from the "heart and soul" of nation's head of state, who is also a member of the Dutch government.2
  • While acknowledging that racism in Dutch society remained a problem, the monarch nonetheless said that "times have changed." He added that "chains have truly been broken," referring to the Surinamese term 'Keti Koti', the title now given to July 1st day of remembrance in the Netherlands.3
  • In a similar speech last year, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also apologized for the Netherlands' role in historical slavery during a visit to the country's National Archives. The Netherlands has since established a fund to underwrite initiatives confronting slavery and enhancing education projects.4
  • During the 16th and 17th centuries, a period coined as the Dutch Golden Age for the Netherlands, it is believed that the country transported approximately 600K Africans as slaves primarily to South America and the Caribbean.5
  • King Willem-Alexander's speech comes only weeks after a study titled 'State and Slavery' reported that the Dutch royal family — the House of Orange-Nassau — gained approximately €545M ($595M) from slavery during the period of their last three rulers.6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Guardian (a), 3Sky News, 4NPR Online News, 5Al Jazeera, and 6Guardian (b).

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by DutchReview. The history of slavery in Dutch society has so far gone unacknowledged, making the recent apologies by both the King and the Prime Minister especially significant. This recognition comes better late than never for one of the last countries in Europe to end the abhorrent practice.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Le Journal de l'Afrique. This message from the Netherlands' head of state is a clear sign that the country wishes to move forwards and clear its conscience. However, it is yet to be seen whether the Netherlands' apologies will be accepted by African countries and the descendants of slaves, who would be justified in pursuing compensation. The Netherlands may need more than rhetoric to resolve historic links to the slave trade.