Peter Dejong/Pool/Portal
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands addresses an event commemorating the anniversary of the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Saturday, July 1, 2023.
CNN –
Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Saturday apologized for the Netherlands’ historic involvement in slavery and the impact it still has to this day.
The King spoke at a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the legal abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, including its former Caribbean colonies.
“On this day as we remember the Dutch history of slavery, I ask forgiveness for this crime against humanity,” he said. He said racism remains a problem in Dutch society and not everyone would support his apology.
But “times have changed and Keti Koti … the chains are really broken,” he said to the cheers and applause of thousands of spectators at the national slavery memorial in Amsterdam’s Oosterpark.
Peter Dejong/Pool/Portal
Spectators react after King Willem-Alexander apologized for the royal family’s role in slavery at an event on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands.
“Keti Koti” are Surinamese words meaning “the chain is broken” and the title of July 1st as a day of commemoration of slavery and celebration of freedom.
The apology comes as part of a broader reexamination of the Netherlands’ colonial past, including its involvement in both the Atlantic slave trade and slavery in its former Asian colonies.
Willem-Alexander apologized in Indonesia in 2020 for “excessive violence” during Dutch colonial rule.
In December Prime Minister Mark Rutte acknowledged that the Dutch state had a responsibility for and had benefited from the Atlantic slave trade and apologized.
Rutte said the government will not pay reparations, as recommended by an advisory panel in 2021.
A government-commissioned study published last month found that by today’s standards, the House of Orange benefited around $600 million from the Dutch colonies in 1675-1770, much of it in donations was donated to the profits of the Dutch East India Company’s spice trade.
The royal family commissioned an independent inquiry into the role of the royal family in colonial history in December, with results expected in 2025.