Bristol slaves

[Vivacia]

I heard on the news today that there is going to be a public debate on whether or not the city of Bristol should apologise for its role in the slave trade. Obviously slavery was a horrific and unjustifiable trade but it was not the people of bristol today who took part in it so why would they apologise and what difference will it make if they do?

[maxximus]

there has never been a political public apology for nagasaki or hiroshima soooo?

[Hammer Head]

I believe that my Grandad beat up a bloke in a pub brawl in 1934. I really should try and locate the man's family and aplogise to them.

[Lonnie]

have the African states and peoples who activily took part apologised to their own people for taking part, without their help, it probably wouldn't have been as successful as it was.

Mabe we should ask the Romans to apologise for invading this country and taking slaves. or the Normans, Danes, Norwegians etc.

[Lonnie]

The thing is, If they appease and apologise, the next step will be asking for money, and so on

[Booldawg]

that'd be a resounding 'NO' then vivacia.

[JudgeJ]

And since all the people who made these posts so far, and the majority of people in Bristol, and the rest of the country would also say "No" if asked, an apology will almost certainly be forthcoming.

The members of the ruling elite that currently run this country have no regard for the wishes of their constituents. Then they wonder why extreme parties begin to take a large share of "their" votes.

[Bohne]

I can't see the point of that at all.
As you said, not people alive today where involved in the slave trade.

It's the same with people always expecting me to feel guilty about all the horrible things the NAZIs did, just because I am German.

I feel extremely sad, but not guilty, since I did not do it!

[jake-the-peg]

I'm not quite sure who they should appologise to exactly.

The long dead slaves themselves? Their descendants who hold American passports whilst fighting to keep out illegal immigrants?

I do think though that we shouldn't forget how brutal and disgusting a trade it was and that the beauty of so many eighteenth Century buildings was paid for out of so much suffering.

I think Bristol has had one or two statues comemorating the slave trade by schools etc. but nothing really significant. Perhaps they should commission a work to stand close to the existing statue of Sir Edward Colston who profitted handsomely from the trade.

Would you expect Auswitz to have no memorial, no acknowledgement of what happened?

[jno]

plenty of people made a lot of money in the slave trade. Their descendants still have it. It'll do no harm to remind them that it was blood money.

[Pippa68]

Absolutely not.

Hammer Head you hit the nail on the head (and made me chuckle) everyone has said what I would have said really so no real elaboration needed..

As a side note, last year whilst in New York city I got chatting to a black guy who happened to be a Gulf War vet. Everything was fine until he started demanding some 'compensation' for his slavery. Huh?

[Trojanfarce]

I don't suppose for a moment the Egyptians are going to apologise for using slave labour to build the Pyramids, but seeing as so many whining apologists are keen to ensure a national sense of guilt engulfs any nation with any sort of tainted history (oh gosh that would pretty well be all of them) then perhaps we should march on Parliament and demand that economic pressures are brought to bare on the Egyptian Govt until they tear down said Pyramids which are quite clearly a monument to man's inhumanity to man.

Apologise for the slave trade? Build a bridge and get over yourselves.

[jake-the-peg]

Leaving aside the small point that pyramids weren't built by slaves

The Slave trade was conducted by people who "ought to have known better".

These were not ancient kings of the middle east, this was conducted by "Enlightenment Europeans".

Remember the signatories of the American Constitution wrote "we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men were created equal" whilst at the same time having chained slaves working their plantations.

[Trojanfarce]

According to some research, the pyramids WERE built by slaves, other research points to serfs and further research points to the common populace who had to spend time working for the govt at the time. Some hieroglyphic translations make a case for slaves being used. But what the hey, it's only a small point.

[sp1814]

Couldn't we all agree that Brits will never apologise for building their empire, and future wealth on slavery?

It just won't happen...pointless even considering it.

Weird though, that Brits will never forgive or forget about the atrocities carried out by the Germans in WWII.

Is it time that heals? Or whether the evil is carried out by your forefathers, or someone elses?

[nineking]

OHH WELL !! the people have spoken..all this goes to show you can Never get justice on stolen land!!! Ask the Real Americans, THE native indigenous tribes of America before Columbus 'Discovered' America ask the Real Austrailians the native indigenous tribes of Austrialia and pray tell me where is their clearly visible presence in politics and society in either the United States or Austrialia. its pretty rich of us to begrudge an appology because we dont bear african surnames. the legacy of that evil is evident today..

[Lorcan]

Would it not be considered outrageous to expect other races to apologise for the misdeeds of others?

I expect most dictionaries define racism as wishing someone to be punished for being of the same race as a transgressor. (Or similar sentiments.)

[horselady]

I live just outside Bristol and work in Bristol. People are a bit puzzled and annoyed over this. Of course we now know that slavery was wrong, so were a lot of other things in history. Who is the apology supposed to be made to? Who is going to make it? Need I say that Bristol City Council is famous for being slightly barmy.

[Dolly1308]

I want compensation and an apology from the Black American who raped my 15yr-old sister who was waiting for my Mother to come out of work during WW11 ,Unfortunately my Father was serving on an Aircraft Carrier in the RN in the Pacific at the time .The ba$tard got away with it ,now wher do I go for my compensation and apology ? My sister can't claim it she is dead .Perhaps sp1814 can advise me .