EU passes motion for reparations for Colonialism.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/p ... -in-the-eu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The motion passed yesterday.
They're asking countries with history of colonialism in Africa to open up their records, return items taken during that era and to stop discriminating against Afro-Europeans etc.
They also want the countries to apologize for what they did.

. Histories of injustices against Africans and people of African Descent – including enslavement, forced labour, racial apartheid, massacre, and genocides in the context of European colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade – remain largely unrecognised and unaccounted for at an institutional level in EU member states,' the text states.

Will be interesting to see what information is revealed by former colonial powers, including ourselves.

[dsr]

You mean there should be laws against racism? Now why didn't we think of that?

[Paul Waine]

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/p ... -in-the-eu

The motion passed yesterday.
They're asking countries with history of colonialism in Africa to open up their records, return items taken during that era and to stop discriminating against Afro-Europeans etc.
They also want the countries to apologize for what they did.

Will be interesting to see what information is revealed by former colonial powers, including ourselves.

Any idea why this just mentions Africa? I read earlier in the week that Mexico has asked Spain to apologise. Didn't several European countries also colonise what is now USA and Canada - to the detriment of the first nations. Similarly, major parts of Asia. Similarly, most of South America?

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Any idea why this just mentions Africa? I read earlier in the week that Mexico has asked Spain to apologise. Didn't several European countries also colonise what is now USA and Canada - to the detriment of the first nations. Similarly, major parts of Asia. Similarly, most of South America?

Not sure why it's just Africa, you could apply the same to Australia.

Maybe they feel Africans suffer the most, because Europe was brutal with their behaviour down there.

[dsr]

Basically, Europe colonised the rest of the world. But then again, Britain was one of the most colonised nations on earth - the Romans, the Angles, the Saxons, the Danes, the Vikings, the Irish, the Norman French (who were Vikings all over again). Whatever reparations we have to pay, we can get them all back off the EU and Norway. Shall we settle for £39 billion?

[Edit] - forgot the Jutes. Whoever they might have been.

[claret wizard]

Whatever way you look at this, it ain’t going to look too good for the Belgium. Their actions in the Congo are probably the worst colonial crimes commited.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Whatever way you look at this, it ain’t going to look too good for the Belgium. Their actions in the Congo are probably the worst colonial crimes commited.

They might ignore this for a bit then, I think it's still advisory.
The British museums will have a lot of stuff to hand back you'd assume.

[Stayingup]

I would say we've been colonized now.

What the hell has it got to do with the interfering overbearing EU? If a country has a problem with a former colonial power they should take it up with them. Nothing at all to do with the EU.

I wonder could there be a balance for what has been 'alledgedly' taken. For example in the sub-continent the British introduced a system of gevernment, railways, hospitals and CRICKET? Should we not charge for that. hehe.

I notice though its Africa not the sub - continent. Says a lot to me. I do business with Asian people who were forced out of Africa. They are a pleasure to deal with and are smart busniness men. Africa missed out losing them.

[Pstotto]

Another reason to leave the EU. Attempt to civilize savages and that's what you get. I sentence the passers of the bill to eternal raggamuffin in their ears.

Send Lutyen's Dehli back in crates and all the railways.

It's all to sell Adidas Y-3 trainers anyway, tell it like it is.

The sooner they backdate to the 1950's fixed working permits only for the status of all immigrants, the better.

Let's nuke Dublin while we're at it.

[Erasmus]

It would be a tough competition for worst colonialist atrocities and Belgium in the Congo would certainly be a top contender. But on balance I think Germany in Namibia would win it. Britain in Kenya would also be up there.

[Pstotto]

It's all about the getting the tail to wag the dog to cover the minority elite's tracks, as the ethnic, social and religious minorities do their bidding of trampling on the rest with full media and political backing.

The deluge and the noise and the battering is so great and intense, the flak is impossible to see beyond. Octopus ink x a trillion billion.

Job for lecturer in Fine Art at Newcastle? East African writing! No kidding.

[ElectroClaret]

It would be a tough competition for worst colonialist atrocities and Belgium in the Congo would certainly be a top contender. But on balance I think Germany in Namibia would win it. Britain in Kenya would also be up there.

If we're talking a kind of league table of colonial wrongdoings, the Spanish conquest of Central America
must be up there with the Liverpools and Man City's.

[claret wizard]

It would be a tough competition for worst colonialist atrocities and Belgium in the Congo would certainly be a top contender. But on balance I think Germany in Namibia would win it. Britain in Kenya would also be up there.

Old Leopold is estimated to have killed somewhere between 1,000,000 and 15,000,000 in the Congo. A figure of 10,000,000 is usually used. But the lowest number is 1,000,000!!! Germany comes in at just over 100,000. Though their efforts were a deliberate attempt to wipe out a people after a rebellion. The Belgium's were just using the populace as some sort of feudal slave system rather than trying to eradicate them. The Mau Mau revolt in Kenya is small scale compared to these two.

The fact that these were occurring in the last 150 years is the shocking part. Also, not trying to belittle any of these, the numbers involved of all these events is really disgusting.

If the EU are looking to set about sorting out previous conflicts then they'd be better off looking a lot closer to home initially would be my suggestion.

[Pstotto]

Poland? Russia? Coventry? Lisbon and Napoleonic wars? The Romans and Vikings?

King Leopold killed whatever, what about the Zulus? They might have killed twice as many etc. The slave trade wasn't a colonial thing first, the slaves were sold to the whites.

If we're going be castigated then all our culture too. No Christianity. No books. No electronics. No vehicles. No justice system. No schooling. No football (Argentina????) No cricket. No trainers. No sportswear. No foreign aid. No English language.No mining. No oil extraction. No roads. I just called to say, I LOVE YOU...

Have your Benin Bronzes back. It's Muppet art.

[Woodleyclaret]

Does that. Include repatriation of displaced people.

[dsr]

Does that. Include repatriation of displaced people.

Hope not. Ireland would be pretty crowded with an extra 35m Americans repatriated there!

[TheFamilyCat]

What about Burnley colonising York and Carlisle in the spring of 1992?

[DocFoster]

I wonder what the French will think of this as apparently they are still at it.

https://howafrica.com/scandal-according ... to-france/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bfcjg]

Good job the USA isn't in Europe as they would make them apologise to the Clangers.
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/624xn/p02s99dk.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Stproc]

Looking forward to the Germans, French, Vikings, etc apologising to us. The Germans are going to busy for awhile here

[Clarets4me]

Reminds me of this when the France temporarily left NATO in the 1960's .....

In 1966 upon being told that President Charles DeGaulle had taken France out of NATO and that all U.S. troops must be evacuated off of French soil President Lyndon Johnson mentioned to Secretary of State Dean Rusk that he should ask DeGaulle about the Americans buried in France. Dean implied in his answer that that DeGaulle should not really be asked that in the meeting at which point President Johnson then told Secretary of State Dean Rusk:

"Ask him about the cemeteries Dean!"

That made it into a Presidential Order so he had to ask President DeGaulle.
So at end of the meeting Dean did ask DeGaulle if his order to remove all U.S. troops from French soil also included the 60,000+ soldiers buried in France from World War I and World War II.

DeGaulle, embarrassed, got up and left and never answered.”

[bfcmik]

"The resolution encourages EU institutions and member states to address and rectify past injustices and crimes against humanity, perpetrated in the name of European colonialism. These historic crimes still have present day negative consequences for people of African descent, MEPs claim.

MEPs suggest carrying out reparations, such as apologising publicly and return stolen artefacts to their countries of origin. Parliament also calls on EU countries to declassify their colonial archives, as well as to present a comprehensive perspective on colonialism and slavery in the educational curricula."

This is a resolution from the European Parliament which is not a ruling, just a request. Our Parliament could make resolution asking that every citizen and company own up to any historic tax evasion. Wonder how many people would comply?

As for returning artifacts who do we return them to? There were few kingdoms/countries in Africa before the Europeans arrived and set up boundaries. Tribal lands were ignored and arbitrarily carved up with many being placed in different countries, The Matabele, for example, found their lands split over three different countries, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa - they were then persecuted as a minority race in each place!

[GodIsADeeJay81]

There were tribes, kingdoms and some countries in place well before the Europeans rocked up and devastated the place further.

As you've alluded too, the existing tribal lands etc were disregarded and carved up, bit like we did with the middle East coincidentally.

[elwaclaret]

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/p ... -in-the-eu

The motion passed yesterday.
They're asking countries with history of colonialism in Africa to open up their records, return items taken during that era and to stop discriminating against Afro-Europeans etc.
They also want the countries to apologize for what they did.



Will be interesting to see what information is revealed by former colonial powers, including ourselves.

Africa not much for us... a bit for SA but that will be about it. Spain, France,Portugal and Italy will be gnawing their fingernails quite a bit though. Depending on how far back they are going Belgium will be shitting themselves