Caribbean leaders call for return of British Virgin Islands, demand reparations

A group of Caribbean leaders on a four-day official tour of the United Kingdom has made headlines with their demand for return to British Virgin Islands, call for reparations, and the independence of European and American territories in the region.
The Caricom Reparations Commission, the Caribbean body demanding a moral and legal case of reparations from colonial powers, demanded that the UK return the British Virgin Islands and called on King Charles to commit to decolonising the British overseas territories.
The Caribbean leaders flagged that the region remained the “the most colonised part of the world”, The Guardian reported.
The British overseas territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos have internal self-governance, but remain under the control of UK. The UK government holds controls over matters of defence, international affairs, security and legal matters.

The group said the commission is creating a framework to launch negotiations because the time for making the case for reparatory justice is overdue.
“We in the Caribbean remain the most colonized part of the world, and this has to stop,” Hilary Beckles, chairman of Caricom’s reparations commission, said.
“We are saying to the world and to the United Nations is bring an end to colonisation, because if we do not bring it into the framework of reparatory justice, we might see a resurgence of colonisation elsewhere,” he added.Story continues below this ad
The commission said there are over 20 territories in the Caribbean which are ruled Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States.
“I am quite sure the people of the Caribbean … will be looking to see whether their king … is going to advance this conversation about sovereignty, decolonization and reparatory justice for these crimes that have been committed,” Beckles said, according to Associated Press.
What is Caricom Reparations Commission demanding?
The Caricom Reparations Commission has launched a new manifesto outlining the “moral, ethical and legal case for reparations”. David Comissiong, Barbados’ ambassador to Caricom, said decolonisation has been inserted into the manifesto “as a key demand”.
Comissiong said that the first step of reparations must be the recovery of national sovereignty and self-determination. He said the commission had a “productive meeting” with three senior clerics from the Church of England, calling it a “possible ally.”Story continues below this ad

He also praised King Charles III for expressing in recent years “personal sorrow at the suffering of so many” as he noted “slavery’s enduring impact”.
Caricom leaders are seeking a formal apology, improvements in education and public health, development programs for indigenous people and repatriation and resettlement for those seeking to live in their homeland.
The Jamaica government is expected to file a formal petition this September asking King Charles III to refer legal questions on slavery reparations to the Privy Council.
Around 12 million Africans were forcefully taken European nations between the 16th and 19th century, and those who survived the trip across the Atlantic Ocean were enslaved on plantations in the Caribbean and in other places under brutal conditions.Story continues below this ad
In March, UN introduced a resolution spearheaded Ghana declaring the transatlantic slave trade the “gravest crime against humanity”. While the resolution received 123 votes in favour, three countries including Argentina, Israel and the US voted against and 52, including the United Kingdom, abstained.
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