Caribbean groups form coalition to remove Queen as head of state

Following the royal trip Kate Middleton and Prince William embarked on last month, black and indigenous groups from Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas have united as part of a push for slavery reparations from the UK.

The move could ultimately oust the Queen as head of state in the three nations.

In a statement, reported by the Independent, the Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC), the Advocacy Network in Jamaica and the indigenous Maya people of Belize slammed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s recent royal tour.

They said: “We stand united in rejecting the so-called charm offensive tour of the Caribbean undertaken by William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, which is in sharp opposition to the needs and aspirations of indigenous peoples and people of African descent in the Caribbean.

“We stand united in condemning Britain’s savagery in enslaving our ancestors, the coarse indecency of colonial exploitation, the brutality of its enforcers, and the enduring legacies of impoverishment and colonial-era ideologies that have damaged and continue to damage our people, our society and our economy.

“Going forward, we will stand stronger, united in our call for reparatory justice and in supporting the roadmap for redress laid out by the CARICOM Reparations Commission.

“We will stand strong, united in our celebration of the resilience of Caribbean people who have accomplished much since our independence, against the odds, and we commit to continuing in this tradition in tackling contemporary challenges, rooting out all vestiges of our post-colonial past and empowering our people to achieve more.”