Once again, the Gruaniad tries to guilt trip wipipo.
Many things were remarkable about the trial of the Colston Four, who last week were found not guilty of criminal damage for pulling down the statue of the 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and throwing it into Bristol harbour. Among them was the fact that the four defendants were white, as was the judge and, reportedly, most of the jurors. It made me wonder, are white people increasingly recognising the significance of Britain’s legacy of slavery?
The simple answer is ‘no.’
Let’s just think about the history of slavery for moment here. At the height of the transatlantic trade, we had barbary pirates raiding the southern coast of Ireland and England as well as raiding shipping in the Channel to take slaves to the African slave markets. Do current day Moroccans sit in anguish about how their families benefited from this trade, some three hundred years ago? Do they buggery. And neither should we. Slavery as an institution is not confined to the transatlantic trade, it runs like a dark thread throughout human history and that north African trade – it’s still going on, but I don’t see Thomas Harding wringing his hypocritical hands over it. After all, that would mean actually getting up off his arse and doing something.
Slavery happened. We stopped it and spent more of our GDP stamping it out than we gained as a consequence of it. Job done, time to wrap up and go home. What I will not be doing is worrying about it. Everyone involved is long dead. My own family never owned slaves. Indeed, one of them died in a workhouse.
In my view, white people in Britain have a special responsibility when it comes to this legacy.
No. We. Don’t. You racist arsehole. Go take your guilt trip and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
After all, the vast majority of those who transported the captured Africans Europeans to the Caribbean African slave markets were white brown.
There, fixed that for you, you arrant arsehole.
More than this, it is clear that the legacy of slavery is very much alive in Britain today.
Yeah, they live lives unimaginable to those still living in the shitholes their ancestors came from. How awful for them. Fuck off already, you nasty racist piece of shit.
For it just perhaps signalled that white people are beginning to really acknowledge Britain’s legacy of slavery. The next question is, what should be done about it?
No, it means that a jury made an appalling decision that might not have been made had the case been heard outside Bristol. As for the final question, the answer is ‘nothing.’ The transatlantic slave trade ended over two hundred years ago. We did our bit to stamp it out. The descendants of slaves living here have far better lives than if they were still living in Africa. We owe them nothing and we should pay them nothing. Has this historically ignorant buffoon any idea how the common people lived in Britain at the time of the transatlantic slave trade? Probably not, but ‘muh, slavery.’ is the schtick he is peddling and peddle it he will. As usual for the Grauniad, an intellectually dishonest article by an intellectually dishonest writer.
I totally agree LR. These dysfunctional jurors in Bristol have discredited the jury system. These four twats should have had a quick Stalin like termination – a quick bullet.
Slavery is still being practiced in some parts of Africa and the Islamic world today. Yet the Groan never mentions it. As long as the perpetrators are not white it does not matter to them.
It’s because they are vile racists.
Just google “World slavery map” for a rather depressing image of how slavery is alive, well and even flourishing in some places.
Africa being somewhere that it never stopped.
I’ve long believed that this is, purely, about money i.e. that’s what you did to us which you admit, so now PAY UP.
I don’t and never have, swallowed the rest of the bullshit. Sure, you will always have emotional nutcases but you will have them over anything.
Melt down the Benin bronzes and make a suitable statue.
Where did the king/emperor/bigboss of Benin get the money to have them made?I
Maybe the traders who took slaves West should have done what those who took them East did. No guilt trip 3 centuries on.
I have just arrived from a New Year break on the Costa Blanca, during which I went on a coach trip to the “Scenic Sierras”. When describing the terraced hillsides built during the Moorish occupation the, up until then, very friendly guide remarked how hard the Moors must have worked to build them. When I pointed out the hard work would have been done by the European and African slaves kidnapped by Moorish pirates and sold on, most of who would have died from exhaustion, ill treatment, or the effects of being castrated, there was a hush in the coach and her friendliness to me disappeared. Oh well, I didn’t want to have sex with her, anyway.
lolol
You can change names of places but you can’t hide the fact that Edward Colston put the money into making Bristol what it is today. He gave money when he was alive and left his legacy to benefit the people of Bristol.
They are changing Colston girls schools name but it was set up, and apparently the money in the bank dates from when it was set up. If this money was made through his dealings with the East India trade company then surely they should hand it back. Perhaps to the Colston family???
It will always be the Colson Awl as far as I’m concerned. The vast majority of Brizzle weren’t asked and had no say in this wokery.
Bristol is a port. Bath is beautiful. Roman empire used slaves.
Thanks Longrider. I’m a self-centred type, so it’s a pleasure to have someone agree with my opinions.