Amsterdam [Netherlands], July 2: The Dutch king apologized for the sufferings of hundreds of thousands of people under slavery and asked for forgiveness.
His apology comes from the bottom of his heart and soul, King Willem-Alexander said at an event in Amsterdam to mark the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
"On this day that we remember the Dutch history of slavery, I ask forgiveness for this crime against humanity," he said. He said racism in Dutch society remains a problem and not everyone would support his apology.
However "the times have changed and KetiKoti . the chains have truly been broken," he said to cheers and applause of thousands of onlookers at the national slavery monument in Amsterdam's Oosterpark. "Of all forms of bondage, slavery is the most degrading and inhumane."
His apology echoes that made by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on behalf of the Netherlands and the king at the end of last year. The Netherlands was one of the largest colonial powers in the world from the 17th century onwards. Over the course of 200 years, the country enslaved an estimated 600,000 people.
King Willem-Alexander's statement was greeted with great applause at the event, whose participants included Rutte and many other members of the government. The king asked for an investigation into the role of the Royal House of Orange-Nassau during the colonial period in late 2022. The Netherlands commemorated the end of slavery in its colonies 150 years ago on Saturday.
Prime Minister Rutte and other members of the government attended the national event in Amsterdam.
In addition, Dutch ministers in the former colonies of Suriname and six Caribbean islands were scheduled to attend official commemorations there. Last December, Rutte already apologised for slavery on behalf of the government. Officially, the kingdom was one of the last countries in Europe to abolish slavery on July 1, 1863. But in reality, slaves had to continue working on the plantations for another decade before the practice ended.
Source: Qatar Tribune