Former St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has publicly praised a recent United Nations General Assembly resolution that declares the transatlantic slave trade and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity”.
The resolution, spearheaded by President John Mahama of Ghana on behalf of the African Union, was presented on March 26, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1807 abolition of the British transatlantic slave trade.
Gonsalves said the resolution passed with an overwhelming majority of 123 votes in favor. However, he strongly criticized the three nations that voted against it the United States, Israel, and Argentina as well as the 52 countries that abstained, which primarily consisted of European nations like Britain, France, and Holland.
Gonsalves noted that these abstentions are particularly significant given the critical role these nations play in CARICOM’s ongoing quest for reparations.
Gonsalves took special aim at the United Kingdom’s explanation for abstaining.
He detailed how the UK’s representative, James Kariuki, acknowledged the “untold harm and misery” of slavery but argued against a “hierarchy of historical atrocities” and claimed there was no legal duty to provide reparations because slavery was not a violation of international law at the time.
Gonsalves dismissed this justification as pedantic and offensive, stating, “It is so offensive to humanity that it has always been a crime against humanity”.
The opposition leader reiterated his commitment to the reparations struggle, noting his ongoing discussions with Hilary Beckles, Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
He emphasized that the UN resolution represents a massive step forward from the early days of the movement when the push for reparations was dismissed by political opponents as a “pie in the sky”.