July 1 (UPI) — King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands acknowledged and apologized for the Dutch role in the historical slave trade Saturday in a speech marking the 150th anniversary of the end of slavery in Dutch Suriname.
The monarch made his comments in Amsterdam’s Oosterpark during the Keti Koti Festival, which is held annually on July 1 to mark Suriname’s Emancipation Day.
“‘Within the city of Amsterdam and its jurisdiction, all men are free, and none are slaves.’ These are the words of a Dutch legal provision from 1644,” Willem-Alexander said in his speech.
“And yet, the principals that were taken for granted within this city and within this country did not apply beyond its borders. Here, slavery was banned. But overseas it was not.”
On the day of the Keti Koti Festival, he said, “I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity.”
The Dutch king said he had been examining the history of the Netherlands.
“We’ve met people with Surinamese roots, and people with ties to Indonesia. Among them are people who only have to go back three generations to find family members born into slavery. And they made it very clear just how deep these wounds remain,” he said.
The King cited research figures about the Dutch role in the transatlantic slave trade, in which an estimated 600,000 people were transported across the Atlantic as slaves aboard Dutch ships.
“Around 75,000 did not survive the crossing,” he said while acknowledging the key role in the slave trade played by the Dutch East India Company.
In his speech, the monarch celebrated those who had risen up against slavery throughout history.
“From their hideouts in Suriname’s vast forests and swamps, resistance fighters such as Boni, Baron and Joli-Couer defiantly challenged the inhumanity of slavery. Thier heroic deeds, and those of many others, are a testament to a pride and strength that could not be broken,” Willem-Alexander said.
He specifically acknowledged Tula, the leader of a 1795 slave revolt in Curacao.
“How reasonable and compassionate Tula’s words sound to our modern ears. Invoking the ideals of the French Revolution and the equality of all people, regardless of their skin color, he said, ‘We do not seek to harm anyone, but want nothing more than our freedom.'”
Last year, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for the Netherlands’ role in the slave trade on behalf of the government. Also last year, Willem-Alexander said he would stop using the royal family’s golden carriage due to images portraying colonialism on the carriage.
The government recently set aside $213 million to help educate the public on the history of slavery.