Indigenous Leaders of the British Commonwealth Urge Charles III to "Apologize for Colonial Rule"

Representatives from 12 Countries Including Australia and New Zealand Send Letter
"Territorial 'Discovery Priority' Must Also Be Denied"

Indigenous leaders from Commonwealth countries have sent a letter to King Charles III of the United Kingdom, who is set to be crowned on the 6th, demanding an official apology and reparations for Britain's past colonial rule.

According to the British daily The Guardian on the 4th (local time), indigenous politicians and prominent figures from 12 Commonwealth countries urged King Charles III through a letter titled "Apology, Reparations, and the Return of Artifacts and Remains." The signatories include indigenous representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.

In the letter, they stated, "We urge King Charles III to acknowledge the horrific and ongoing impacts of the mass genocide and colonial rule inflicted upon indigenous peoples and enslaved populations on the day of his accession, May 6." Referring to King Charles III’s acknowledgment of past wrongs at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last June, they said, "The time has come for dialogue," and demanded that "(the King) immediately begin conversations about the continuing impacts of slavery."

King Charles III of the United Kingdom
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Additionally, the indigenous leaders requested King Charles III to "commit to discussing reparations for the oppression of indigenous peoples, resource plundering, and cultural denigration, and to promise to return the wealth stolen from indigenous peoples that has supported the royal family." They also demanded the return of remains, treasures, and artifacts held in places such as the British Museum, stating these were taken under the royal patronage by authorities empowered through centuries of genocide, enslavement, discrimination, and racism.

Nova Peris, an indigenous Australian athlete and former Australian Labor Party senator who signed the letter, said, "We understand that this may be a difficult conversation for the British royal family, but change begins with listening."

Furthermore, the Australian Republic Movement (ARM) criticized the request for Commonwealth citizens to swear allegiance to King Charles III as unreasonable, calling it "an insult to all Australians."

The letter also referenced the recent official rejection of the Doctrine of Discovery by Pope Francis and urged the British royal family to acknowledge this and adopt a similar stance.

The Doctrine of Discovery is the concept that ownership of newly discovered territories belongs to the discovering nation. Established by papal decrees in the 15th century, it served as a foundation to justify colonial exploitation by Western imperialist countries. In a statement released last month, the Vatican declared, "The Doctrine of Discovery is not a teaching of the Catholic Church," and added that "the papal decrees of the time did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.