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.

Colonialism is a structure, not a historical event. So it still needs to be dealt with. Just because you’re not to blame doesn’t mean you’re not the only one who can do the right thing as voting citizens. Nations that colonise absorbed wealth of other nations and that advantage can still be seen today in infrastructure that was built, wealth amassed. Museums today hold stolen artefacts and even bodies from lands they colonised.

Please don’t use ancestors as a smokescreen for what is happening right in front of our eyes.