President admitted the country’s responsibility for crimes against slaves and indigenous people, but did not detail how he would deal with the matter
During a meeting with foreign journalists on Tuesday (April 23, 2024), the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, admitted the country’s responsibility for the crimes of slavery and the colonial period, suggesting the need for reparation to the affected countries, including Brazil. The information is from the agency Reuters.
Rebelo stated that Portugal “assumes full responsibility” for the mistakes of the past, recognizing that these crimes, like the “colonial massacres”had “costs” that would be “paid”.
“Are there actions that were not punished and those responsible were not arrested? Are there assets that were looted and not returned? We’ll see how we can fix this.”added the Portuguese president, without specifying the concrete means by which reparation would be carried out.
This is the first public acknowledgment of guilt by a Portuguese president. In 2023, Rebelo de Sousa had already mentioned the need for the country to apologize and “take responsibility” for his role in the slave trade, although he did not provide specific details or issue a formal apology, merely indicating an intention.
In the same vein, at the event on Tuesday (April 23), Rebelo stated that recognizing the past and taking responsibility were more significant than simply apologizing. “Apologizing is the simplest part”he stated.
Most European leaders have avoided addressing the issue of reparations in any meaningful way. In 2022, when the Netherlands apologized for its involvement in the slave trade, a €200 million fund was announced to address the issue, but there was no compensation for the descendants of enslaved people. Instead, according to the government, the money would be used for educational initiatives and to minimize the negative effects of slavery.
