Jamaica Moves to Become a Republic as Calls Grow for Slavery Reparations Following U.K. Royal Visit

[appalachiablue]

- Democracy Now! The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge have just finished a weeklong visit to former British colonies in the Caribbean. Their trip comes after Barbados cut ties to the monarchy & became a republic last year. During the so-called charm offensive to the British Commonwealth countries, the royals were met with protests calling for reparations for slavery. Guest, senior Jamaican Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna, who met with the royals during their visit & has critiqued the couple for not putting forward an action plan to redress the crimes of slavery committed by the British monarchy against the Jamaican people, adding that any British "condemnation [of slavery] without action is hollow."

Hanna outlines how Jamaica could swiftly break ties with the monarchy through referendum or a change in the Constitution. March 28, 2022.
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- The Guardian, Is the sun finally setting on the Commonwealth realms? March 27, 2022.

A reckoning with those countries that have held on to Queen Elizabeth as their head of state is long overdue – as William and Kate’s trip to the Caribbean made clear, just how long has the British monarchy been in crisis? This time – after “Megxit”, after Prince Andrew – it was the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s disastrous trip to the Caribbean. What was supposed to be a “charm offensive”, drumming up enthusiasm in the year of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, ended up looking more like a long goodbye, with the headlines spotlighting anti-royal protests, failures to address legacies of slavery, and the news that Jamaica is planning to ditch the Queen as head of state.

It may well be time for the royal family to face up to the fact that the sun is setting on those final remnants of the empire that they once embodied – and not a moment too soon.

For Britons, it can be easy to forget that the Queen’s realm and territories stretch far beyond these isles. Out of the 54 “independent and equal nations” that make up the Commonwealth of Nations, 15 (including the UK) still count the Queen as their head of state. Becoming a republic doesn’t necessitate surrendering membership of the Commonwealth itself – it simply means a symbolic rejection of British rule. And with Barbados finally taking the leap last year, longstanding debates about republicanism have been reignited in the remaining realms...https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/27/royal-tour-commonwealth-queen-elizabeth-william-kate-caribbean

[OnDoutside]

1. It might be an idea to get the reparations first, while you are still

in some way connected ? Then go for a Republic.