The mayor of Utrecht has apologised for the Dutch metropolis's earlier position in slavery and the nation's colonial historical past.
Sharon Dijksma issued the apology on behalf of Utrecht Metropolis Council for its predecessor's involvement in "the colonial slave commerce and the oppression and exploitation of enslaved individuals".
"At this time we pause to mirror on the historical past of slavery in our metropolis and sit up for study classes from it," Dijksma mentioned in a speech.
"I believe that is extraordinarily necessary as a result of we're speaking about nothing lower than a criminal offense towards humanity."
Utrecht's council had authorized analysis into the "precise position" town's governors had performed within the historical past of slavery within the Netherlands.
It emerged that round 40% of town's administration between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries had pursuits within the slave commerce.
"By paying attention to this darkish facet of our metropolis's historical past - and acknowledging it - we create area for dialogue," mentioned Dijksma, "it helps us to know one another higher."
The Utrecht mayor added that the racist concepts nonetheless exist in Dutch society, lengthy after slavery was abolished.
"That's the reason we should proceed to do every part in our energy to fight all types of racism and discrimination," she mentioned.
"We acknowledge the struggling of so many harmless adults and youngsters and mirror on the injuries that have been inflicted and are nonetheless inflicted immediately."
"As a result of solely once we know our previous can we higher perceive our current and be prepared for a future through which everybody in Utrecht and past is handled equally."
Final yr, the mayor of Amsterdam had apologised for the in depth involvement of the Dutch capital's former governors within the world slave commerce.
"It's time to engrave the nice injustice of colonial slavery into our metropolis’s identification," Femke Halsema had mentioned.
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