Reform UK threatens to deny visas to citizens of countries demanding reparations

Nigel Farage's Reform UK said on Tuesday it was proposing
to deny visas to people from countries seeking amends for transatlantic
slavery, a move swiftly condemned by the Caribbean reparations commission as a
"legacy of toxic racism".
The anti-immigration and populist
party Reform UK, which has only eight national lawmakers but is topping opinion
polls ahead of an election in Britain due by 2029, said it would "block
visa requests from any country that demands slavery reparations," which
include Commonwealth countries of Britain's former empire such as Ghana and
Jamaica.
Zia Yusuf, Reform's policy chief
for home affairs, said reparations calls were "insulting" as they
"ignore the fact that Britain made huge sacrifices to be the first major
power to outlaw slavery and enforce this prohibition".
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) group of nations, the
African Union bloc and several Latin American countries have called for
reparations, not only for historical injustices but for their lasting impacts,
including racial disparities and economic underdevelopment.
Longstanding calls for reparations,
including formal apologies, financial compensation and the return of stolen
artefacts, have gained momentum in recent years, though backlash is also
growing.
Several Western leaders have
opposed even discussing the subject, arguing that today's states and
institutions should not be held responsible for the past. British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer said he would like to "look forward" rather
than have "endless discussions about reparations on the past".
Reacting to Reform's proposal,
Hilary Beckles, chair of the CARICOM-backed reparations commission, said the
party should "rethink" its stance, calling it "tragic" that
people he said were seeking justice would be punished.
"Punishing the victims again is in fact consistent with those people at
the time of emancipation who did not wish... to see the African people
freed," Beckles said at a news conference.
Beckles said the "legacy of
toxic racism... is still so intense that Black people are deemed
undeserving" of reparations.
Reform did not immediately reply to
a request for comment.
Last month, the United Nations
adopted a resolution proposed by Ghana declaring transatlantic slavery the
"gravest crime against humanity" and calling for reparations, with
former colonial powers such as Britain abstaining.
















