Bristol City Council passes reparation motion

LONDON:

There has been a mixed reaction to the Bristol City Council’s motion last week calling on the British government to set up an all-party parliamentary commission of inquiry on reparations. This is being regarded as one of the first steps towards atonement for the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and the Americas.

Led by Stop The Maangamizi Campaign and Afrikan Connexions Consortium along with the Green Party, the Bristol Motion was passed at an extraordinary council meeting chaired by Marvin Rees, the first black mayor of the city.

The motion is the first to be voted on and passed by a City Council led by a black mayor and in a city that has historical links to slavery. The motion comes nine months after the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston during the Black Lives Matter protests.

AGENDA FOR CHANGE

Speaking after the motion, passed with a 47-12 majority, Mayor Rees acknowledged the complexities in conversations around race and emphasised the need for discussions around reparatory justice to be a part of the policies.

He said: “I’m not just a mayor, I still experience the world as a black man and, even within this organisation, I experience the consequences of having black skin. Race does not disappear just because we want to wish it away. That means understanding the role that race plays, not just a historical act but as an ever-present factor.”

The Bristol Motion was tabled by former Lord Mayor Cleo Lake of the Green Party.

“History is made. But now the speeches have been made, the real work will begin and it’s up to all of us to deliver on the fine words in this motion,” Lake said. “Reparations, as I hope, were made clear in this motion, do include, but goes beyond monetary compensation. The contribution of African civilisation, culture and people versus how we have been treated is one of the world’s great paradoxes.”

Esther Stanford-Xosei, coordinator of the Stop The Maangamizi, hailed its successful passing, adding that the real work starts now to get the British government to take the question of reparations seriously.

She said: “Our partner organisation in Bristol is the Afrikan Connexions Consortium and we, as reparations campaigners, have been involved in all the public and private meetings that brought this motion about and have also contributed to the text, which was based on the London motions with some key additions.

“Bristol is the best demonstration, thus far, of the combined ground-up and top-down approach working together in equity.

“There were also 72 statements received from members of the public in support of the motion and nearly 200 statements received last year when the motion went before the council as a silver motion.”

EVENTS

Sir Geoffrey Palmer, retired professor at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, who led a campaign highlighting Henry Dundas’ involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, was among those who welcomed the Bristol Motion.

He said: “The decision to establish an all-party parliamentary commission of inquiry is a major step forward in discussing reparations for those of African descent.”

Palmer said that there are a number of serious issues that need to be considered to move discussions forward. Among them, according to him, is the question if reparations will comprise of money, education opportunities and/or better job conditions?

“Also, what will be the time frame to complete the inquiry? If discussions continue for too long, people will become disillusioned. A timetable of events needs to be established as quickly as possible and having in mind what reparations will consist of will help, greatly,” he said.

“The Caribbean has a strong concept of reparations recommended by Professor Verene Shepherd at The University of West Indies (UWI), which should be referred to,” Sir Geoffrey added.

DOUBTS

Meanwhile, Cecil Gutzmore, former lecturer at The UWI and pan African activist, said he has doubts whether the Bristol Motion will make a difference.

“Since 2013, CARICOM governments have been making representations to the British government about reparations and made no progress because, as the white authority, it has refused to entertain reparation arguments,” he said.

“Now we see local councils and some universities appear to be opening up towards reparations and that is not bad in itself, but you have to assess what they are doing,” Gutzmore said, adding that the University of Glasgow is collaborating with The UWI, but they are not planning to do very much.

“For example, Glasgow says ‘we know we benefited by 200 million from enslavement and we want to look at reparations’, which is good admission, but when you look at what they are intending to do, it does not relate in any way to the 200 million. Even the £20 million they are talking about is not their money being given back. I don’t think CARICOM or The UWI should fall for promises in those terms.

He said what appears to be happening with Bristol and local councils is a holistic approach to reparations which has over complicated the matter.

“Reparations is all about the money which is fundamentally the issue between us and white people,” he said. “Slavery has done real damage and that damage can only be compensated by them agreeing to pay for what they have done.

“I don’t think this should be mixed up with repair which always turns out to be self-repair, which is our business and not theirs. Also, the other issue of what they intend to do is next to nothing, with talk of day to day good practice in race relation which is what they should be doing anyway, this has nothing to do with any conception of reparations.

While I don’t think the Bristol Motion is in any way negative, I don’t have any faith that the British government will take this reparation issue forward,”Gutzmore said.