Family of former British PM apologises for links to slavery

The apology by family of William Gladstone comes as many Guyanese descendants of African slaves have sought reparations. The family of former British Prime Minister William Gladstone apologised for their family’s slave-owning past in Guyana on Friday, as descendants of slaves have sought reparations. “Slavery was a crime against humanity and its damaging impact continues to be felt across the world today,” Charles Gladstone, William’s great-great grandson, said at a launch for the University of Guyana’s International Centre for the Study of Migration and Diaspora. Besides a “sincere formal apology”, the right of repatriation for descendants of “stolen people” and debt cancellation to clean up the “colonial mess”, CARICOM is seeking a development programme for their member states’ Indigenous communities and the funding of cultural institutions such as slavery museums. “The descendants of John Gladstone must now also outline their plan of action in line with the CARICOM…plan for reparatory justice for slavery and indentureship,” Ali said.