The coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, who took the throne after the death of his mother Elizabeth II in September 2022, will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. On the eve of the celebration in the former British colonies, calls are growing for the monarchy to recognize the mistakes of the past and compensate the people who suffered from colonialism. Details are in the Russian media hardware.
Community of Nations
On the eve of the coronation, representatives from 12 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations signed a letter to Charles III demanding that they recognize the consequences of “genocide and colonization”, offer a formal apology and begin the process of reparation. Extracts of letters publish Newsweek edition.
The appeal was signed by representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, New Zealand, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New -Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
What the authors of the letter ask:
Recognize “the appalling consequences and legacy of genocide and colonization of indigenous and enslaved peoples”; immediately start talking about “the enduring influence of slavery”; initiate a discussion on the issue of reparations for the oppression of Indigenous peoples; plunder their resources and depreciate their culture; redistribute “the underlying wealth of the Crown to the peoples from whom it was stolen”; return cultural property and artifacts “stolen” from indigenous peoples for “hundreds of years of genocide, slavery, discrimination, slaughter and racial discrimination”; return the remains of indigenous peoples, which are now housed in British museums; to support the Vatican’s rejection of the “Doctrine of Discovery”, which gave European colonizers power over indigenous peoples’ lands and resources.
The Commonwealth of Nations was formed in 1949 to maintain ties between former British colonies. Today, the organization includes 56 states – nearly all of Britain’s former dominions, colonies and protectorates.
Members of the Commonwealth have the right to opt out unilaterally. A state that declares itself a republic automatically loses its membership in the Commonwealth unless it asks to keep it.
In 15 Commonwealth countries, the British monarch is considered the head of state, 36 members of the organization are republics, and another five have their own monarch.
Australia
In Australia, discontent was caused by the obligation for subjects of the Commonwealth of Nations to pledge allegiance to the British king at the coronation. Australian Republican Movement (ARM) urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to renounce his oath to Charles III and instead take an oath of allegiance to the people, interests and values of Australia.
WARC co-chairman, Australia’s first Indigenous Olympic champion, Nova Paris, has called the requirement to swear allegiance to a “foreign” king an insult to all Australians. “Australians bow to no king. We do not kneel before anyone. We are a society of equals,” said Craig Foster, another co-chair of the movement.
Australian Indigenous Senator Lydia Thorpe has said Australia should sever its ties with the British monarchy and become a republic.
“To what do we swear allegiance? The genocide they committed? Or the stolen wealth they created for themselves at gunpoint?” Thorp said.
She noted that, begun in the 18th century, “the genocide project is still ongoing, and neither the British Crown nor the Australian Government have been held accountable for the crimes they committed”. son The senator’s words to the Guardian.
Prime Minister of Australia in turn informed in an interview with Sky News Australia that he will swear allegiance to Charles III, despite being a staunch Republican.
Jamaica
Jamaica intends to hold a referendum in 2024 to declare the state a republic, reported in an interview with Sky News, Jamaica’s Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahu Forte.
“Jamaica is about to draft a new constitution that will sever ties with the monarch as head of state,” Forte said. The corresponding bill should be submitted to Parliament in May after the coronation of Charles III. According to Forte, many Jamaicans treated Elizabeth II warmly, but did not identify with her heir.
“The Republic is our way of saying goodbye to a form of government tied to a painful past of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade,” the minister said.
In 2022, Prince William called slavery “disgusting” while touring the Caribbean, but offered no apologies for the British Empire’s past policies. In Jamaica, this step was considered insufficient. According to Forte, the monarchy should issue a formal apology and pay reparations to the Jamaican people.
India and South Africa
After the death of Elizabeth II, the Indian government asked the wife of Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, not to use the crown with the famous Kohinoor diamond during the coronation. The gem passed to the British Empire in the 19th century following the conquest of India and is associated among Indians with a colonial past. At Buckingham Palace, they responded to the request: instead of “Kohinoor”, Camilla’s crown will be adorned with other precious stones from the royal family’s collection.
However, the controversy surrounding the regalia used at the coronation has not subsided. In South Africa, they demanded the return of the Cullinan diamond (Star of Africa), which adorns the scepter with a cross, symbol of royalty and justice, which will be given to Charles III during a ceremony on 6 may, wrote Reuters.
The diamond set in the scepter is part of a diamond weighing over 3.1 thousand carats, found in South Africa in 1905. The colonial government presented the stone to British King Edward VII on his birthday. The rest of the Cullinan coins are encrusted with the Crown of the British Empire and other royal decorations.
“I think in general, Africans are beginning to understand that decolonization is not just about giving people certain freedoms, but also giving back what was taken from us,” said Johannesburg lawyer Motusi Kamanga, who promoted the petition for Cullinan’s return.
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