An apology isn’t enough: President Marcelo has once again addressed the issue of ‘crimes committed’ during Portugal’s colonial past, saying the best way forwards is to agree a form of financial compensation.
Speaking at dinner with foreign journalists in Lisbon, he said: “Are there actions that have gone unpunished, people responsible who have not been jailed? Was property looted, and not returned?
Let’s see what we can do to repair this (…) Saying sorry is the easy part”.
As multiple reports point out, for more than 400 years at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and transported to various parts of the world to be sold as slaves.
Portugal trafficked more people than any other European nation.
“The idea of indemnifying countries that suffered at the ends of colonising nations has been gaining force all over the world”, writes SIC.
There is even talk of creating a specific court to hear these issues, with a view of setting compensation…
