ipt4d ago

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

That's not the point of reparations.
Reparations aren't to punish people today for the actions of prior generations.
The point is to help the victims of prior atrocities, who not only are disadvantaged because of centuries of discrimination, but also continue to face atrocities today.

https://web.archive.org/web/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg06q36052o

UN votes to recognise enslavement of Africans as 'gravest crime against humanity'

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

Show threadipt
Framing reparations as inherently punitive is problematic, as it fundamentally misrepresents their purpose.
Mar 26 at 12:38amWeb
Show threadipt4d ago

> "No single set of atrocities should be regarded as more or less significant than another," he said.

Here is the text of the resolution: https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/ltd/n26/055/25/pdf/n2605525.pdf

Judge for yourself, but I think this criticism misses the point - intentionally - of the resolution.

Also, it *was* an atrocity lasting 400 years and impacting millions of victims. No atrocity is good or should be understated, but some atrocities have more impact than others, and this had a massive impact.

Show threadipt4d ago
Moreover, while the transatlantic slave trade is over, Black people continue to be enslaved in the US (and other countries), and continue to face violence and discrimination.