The Hague [Netherlands], December 20: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for the Netherlands' past role in slavery in a speech here on Monday.
At the National Archives in the Hague, Rutte told organizations advocating for recognition of the consequences of slavery that the Dutch government has enabled, encouraged, maintained and benefited from slavery for centuries.
"For centuries, people have been commodified, exploited and mistreated in the name of the Dutch state," Rutte said. "Under Dutch state authority, human dignity has been trampled in the most horrific way. Few Dutch governments after 1863 have seen and recognized that the slavery past had and still has a negative impact. For that I apologize on behalf of the Dutch government."
In former and current parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, such as Suriname, Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, members of the Dutch government will start to discuss what those apologies mean on the ground with the organizations and authorities involved.
Source: Xinhua
