Monitoring Desk
The Hague: Netherlands’ Prime Minister has apologized on behalf of the Dutch State for its role in slavery, and for consequences that he admitted continuing to date.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tendered the apology in a televised speech on Monday. He said, ” I apologize as for several decades Dutch and its representatives have played a role in slavery and its trade. The apology comes amid a reconsideration of the Netherlands’ colonial past, including efforts to return the looted art to its owners.
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Dutch Prime Minister
Some groups in The Hague said that the apology should have come from King Willem-Alexander rather than the Prime Minister. In the late 1500s, the Netherlands was involved in the slave trade and became a major trader in 1600s.
According to history, the Dutch West India Company was the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader during that time. The Netherlands continued the slave trade till 1863.