Portugal says no plans to pay colonial reparations

https://lemmy.world/post/14770536

Portugal says no plans to pay colonial reparations - Lemmy.World

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had called for Lisbon to find ways to compensate its former colonies, including canceling debt. The government says it has not initiated any process to that effect. Lisbon [https://www.dw.com/en/lisbon/t-40075833] is not planning to pay reparations for trans-Atlantic slavery and colonialism, Portugal’s [https://www.dw.com/en/portugal/t-19099779] government said on Saturday. The statement comes in response to remarks by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who said Portugal could find ways to compensate its former colonies. Portugal said in a statement that it seeks to “deepen mutual relations, respect for historical truth and increasingly intense and close cooperation, based on reconciliation of brotherly peoples.” It stressed that it had not launched any “process or program of specific actions” for paying reparations.

Sorry but being held responsible for what your ancestors did is bullshit. The very same bullshit as trying to reclaim the land your ancestors had. Both are not mine, it’s in the past and I have nothing to do with it.

Also, it is most likely that everyone’s ancestors did some bad things. Sad but it is a process in the human history.

The problem with that is that the effects of our ancestors are real whether we like it or not.

Some people are living way better lives than others because their ancestors screwed over other ancestors.

Is it really fair that people should have egregious excess as a result of exploitation?

Is it really fair that the descendants of slaves should be punished for what other people’s ancestors did while those people are rewarded?

It’s not fair that some people have more but the existence of inequality is not enough of a justification to seize property.