On Friday, the province of Utrecht, through the King’s Commissioner, Hans Oosters, apologies made for the slavery past. “The States of Utrecht, the legal predecessor of the current provincial government, have played an unmistakable part in slavery,” said Oosters during a commemoration in Amersfoort.
In the eighteenth century, with the support of the States of Utrecht, the Provinciale Utrechtsche Geoctroyeerde Compagnie was founded, which bought a coffee plantation in Suriname, started a sugar refinery in Utrecht and invested in slave ships. “Between 1738 and 1764, these Utrecht ships transported 1,094 men, women and children who had been captured and enslaved from Africa to the Americas,” the commissioner told the meeting, which concluded with two minutes of silence for all victims and the laying a wreath.
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According to Oosters, the province of Utrecht considers it important to reflect on the slavery past and its impact in the present. For example, more attention will be paid to removing social injustice, combating discrimination and extra work will be done on diversity and inclusion at school and in the workplace.
Earlier apologies
Earlier, the provinces of North and South Holland already apologized for their slavery past and also Zealand will do that on Saturday during Keti Koti.
Prime Minister Rutte apologized on behalf of the Dutch state in December last year. “For centuries, under Dutch state authority, human dignity has been trampled underfoot in the most horrific way,” he said in a speech at the National Archives in The Hague. The cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht have also previously apologized for their role in the Dutch slavery past.