Four claims for slavery compensation have reached ministers: RTL

The cabinet has received several compensation claims for the impact of slavery since prime minister Mark Rutte apologised for the Dutch role in the slave trade 18 months ago, RTL Nieuws said on Monday. 

The broadcaster bases its report on documents obtained under freedom of information legislation. They show at least four claims have been made but do not detail by whom and for how much. That information remains confidential, the home affairs ministry told RTL. 

Prime minister Mark Rutte said earlier that reparations were not on the cards. 

Rutte apologised for the Dutch role in slavery on December 19, 2022, with the king also offering his excuses on July 1, 2023, the 150th year anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands. 

The apologies led to a string of measures. The descendants of enslaved people can change their surnames free of charge. Tula, who led the slave population in Curaçao in an uprising against the Dutch colonial government in 1795 has been rehabilitated and Amsterdam is to host a museum dedicated to slavery. 

The government has also established a €200 million fund to raise “knowledge and awareness” and to combat racism. 

Over the last two years year the mayors of all four major cities have apologised for their role in facilitating the slave trade, while the Dutch central bank (DNB) has published a report detailing how it was founded with capital from colonial entrepreneurs and provided financial services to slave traders.

RTL says the home affairs ministry documents show the government was very aware of the possible repercussions of an apology for slavery and lawyers were involved from the beginning. 

No countries have yet faced major claims or paid compensation in relation to slavery and any formal claim in the Netherlands will take years to process, RTL said.

Nevertheless, there are now more opportunities and the apologies have made the “moral appeal” stronger, colonial history expert Karwan Fatah-Black told the broadcaster.