On the 19th, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands formally apologized for the past and Holland's participation in slavery in the National Archives for the first time.

(Reuters)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] Dutch Prime Minister Mark.

Mark Rutte apologized on behalf of the government on the 19th for the history of the Netherlands' involvement in the slave trade.

People from all walks of life questioned that the timing and location of the apology had not been carefully considered. Rutte responded that the apology should not be divided into time, place, and words, and promised to set up a foundation to assist the legacy of slavery in the past.

According to the Guardian, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte delivered a speech at the National Archives yesterday, and publicly admitted that there are many documents about the past in the archives that record ugly and shameful history.

Rutte believes that there is no way to go back and make up for the past. He can only face up to the increasing slavery encouraged by the Dutch government for centuries. He apologized deeply and said that he only apologized for the past on behalf of the Dutch government.

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Historians say that in the 16th and 17th centuries, Dutch merchants shipped as many as 600,000 slaves to Caribbean colonies such as Suriname and Curacao, and a similar number or even more slaves to the East Indies and what is now Indonesia .

However, the Netherlands did not include the history of slavery in its school curriculum until 2006 for the first time.

Human rights groups say an apology should be given by the Dutch king in Suriname on July 1, 2023, because next year marks the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Suriname.

Human rights groups have criticized the government's lack of communication with future generations affected by slavery, saying such a one-sided apology is trivial.

The organization also emphasizes that the past slavery in the Netherlands is already a crime against humanity, and an official apology and financial compensation should be made.

The government, however, said it had ruled out compensation for now, but promised to set up a 200 million euro education fund to assist people affected by slavery.