Research Reveals 60% of UK Residents Back Apology for Slavery

A recent study has found that three out of five people in the UK believe that the country should formally apologize for its role in transatlantic chattel slavery. This sentiment comes with the expectation that such an apology should extend to Caribbean nations and to the descendants of those who were enslaved. Over half of those surveyed believe the apology should come from the UK Government or organizations that profited from slavery in the Caribbean. This research was presented by The Repair Campaign, which also launched a petition for reparations.

The research was conducted across England, Scotland, and Wales in February 2024. A majority (64 per cent) of the respondents demonstrated a clear understanding of reparatory justice for slavery, showing familiarity with the concept of reparations as a means of making amends for the UK’s historical involvement in slavery. Four out of ten respondents agreed that Caribbean nations should receive financial compensation as an act of reparation for the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

Denis O’Brien, the architect of The Repair Campaign, commented on the research. He highlighted the importance of first delivering an apology, which he regards as a major milestone reached due to ceaseless advocacy efforts aimed at challenging the UK’s historical role in the transatlantic slave trade. O’Brien expressed his encouragement with the support shown in the UK for an apology. He emphasized that the government and monarchy can no longer afford to ignore the demands for reparatory justice given the glaring evidence of the UK’s wealth accrued from 300 years of horrific colonial administration of the Caribbean.

Laura Trevelyan, Trustee of the Trevelyan Grenada Reparations Fund and Honorary Associate Fellow at The University of the West Indies, found the research encouraging. She opined that this specific kind of research has never been previously done. She expressed optimism that as awareness of the present-day legacies of slavery builds and the demand for reparatory justice grows, support for an apology and reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans will become more widespread. According to Trevelyan, the next decade will be crucial in the fight to secure justice for those that lost their lives and liberty as Britain’s government sanctioned slave traders to pursue profits.

Professor Verene Shepherd, Director of the Centre for Reparation Research (CRR) at The University of the West Indies and a Vice-Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, also shared her views. She stated that the passage of the ‘Slave Trade Abolition Act’ by Britain in 1807 did not end the suffering of Africans, underscoring the damage that continued even after the act was passed. On the UN International Day to remember the victims of the transatlantic trafficking, she called on Britain and other former colonial powers to recognize their responsibility, issue a full and formal apology, and follow the CARICOM Ten-Point Plan to do right by the region.