The landmark resolution calls for an apology and contributions to a reparations fund, without specifying an amount.

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to recognise the enslavement of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”, a move advocates hope will pave the way for healing and justice.

The resolution - proposed by Ghana - called for this designation, while also urging UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. It does not mention a specific amount of money.

The proposal was adopted with 123 votes in favour and three against - the United States, Israel and Argentina.

Countries like the UK have long rejected calls to pay reparations, saying today’s institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs.

  • encelado748@feddit.orgEnglish
    0·
    29 days ago

    I get it is extremely important to remember how bad the transatlantic slave trade was, but I think reparations after two centuries makes no sense. You cannot track responsibility 10 generations separated, you cannot track beneficiaries in a globalized world. Countries not involved in slave trade got indirect benefits through commerce, countries involved are instead not benefiting today from that historic trade. Slavery was common everywhere in the world for millennia. I find it hard to even begin to quantify a reasonable approach to a reparation framework that would work in the context of all the human tragedies in the last 5 centuries.

      • encelado748@feddit.orgEnglish
        0·
        29 days ago

        I am a westerner, born in a non slave trader country that never existed before the 1860s. The country before was not a slaver country. The country before that was client state of a slaver country, but just for 20 years! The one before that was not a slaver country. Going event further the country before that was still not a slaver country. Then it was not even a country and still not a slaver one. This until the 1200s when we abolished slavery, so I guess that before then slavery was somewhat ok, but was white people slaves so I do not think that counts.

        I think we never became rich on the spoils. We were definitely richer in the 1200s (we were so rich we paid for the slaves to be free!) and for some centuries after that. That was definitely our golden age I would say. Post war recovery after 1960 was also good, but mainly driven by local mechanical industries, not spoils I am afraid.

                  • encelado748@feddit.orgEnglish
                    0·
                    29 days ago

                    Never said black people don’t deserve any kind of help. That is just stupid. What I said is:

                    • not all western countries are responsible for trans-atlantic slave trade
                    • lot of african slave trade is from non wester countries
                    • track enslavers and enslaved across 5 centuries is an impossible task

                    What I agree is:

                    • all countries involved in slavery should recognize the role they had in the centuries before and work to prevent discrimination and exploitation in modern society
                    • neocolonialism needs to stop now
                    • those countries engaged in neocolonialism needs to provide support to help underdeveloped countries

                    I see nothing racist in this opinion, but please enlighten me. The only one talking all the time about black and white is actually you

    • eatCasserole@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      29 days ago

      You don’t have to look at everything in terms of individual responsibility. We can clearly see that the injustices caused by transatlantic slavery, and imperialism more broadly, are very much still here. I think it would be nice to try to remedy this.

      Of course, it’s non-binding, and the countries that should probably be paying reparations just happen to have all abstained (except for the rogue USA of course, voting against) so I don’t expect anything will happen. But it’s a nice idea.

    • Chloé 🥕@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      0·
      29 days ago

      are the descendants of the enslaved people still suffering from it? are the descendants of the enslavers still benefitting from it? yes?

      then reparations should be paid.

      • encelado748@feddit.orgEnglish
        0·
        29 days ago

        How do you determine who is descended of enslaved and enslaver? How do you identify who is benefitting today for something that happened 500 years ago? How do you deal with people that descend from both enslavers and enslaved? There is a long thread about this. Ultimately it is not possible to do what you are asking. Should a farmer in Turkey pay for the benefit the ottoman empire got from slave trade to a white looking mixed american of west african descent? You realize how stupid that sound?

        • Chloé 🥕@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          0·
          29 days ago

          the states would be paying those reparations, not the people individually

          european states should pay reparations to the nations they colonized and enslaved, and colonial states (the usa, canada…) should pay reparations to their colonized populations.