Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Sunday welcomed the government’s apology for the state’s slave-owning past and stressed that doing so lays the foundation for a future «free of discrimination, exploitation and injustice.»
The monarch pointed out that «by honestly facing» that episode of history, recognizing that crimes against humanity were committed, «the foundations are laid for a shared future» in the fight against «all contemporary forms of discrimination, exploitation and injustice».
«The apology offered by the government is the beginning of a long road. Let us continue,» he said during his Christmas Day address to the nation.
This past Monday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte acknowledged the damage caused by the Dutch state during the colonial era and apologized for the crimes against humanity that were committed, such as slavery.
During that public apology, Rutte announced that the government will launch a 200 million euro fund to raise awareness and show the impact of its slave past on Dutch society.
In 2023, the Netherlands, one of the last states to abolish slavery, is scheduled to hold a series of events to acknowledge those crimes. An estimated 600,000 people were enslaved before the practice was officially ended on July 1, 1863.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
