King of the Netherlands apologizes for country’s role in slavery on 150th anniversary of abolition

By AHMAD SEIR and MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

AMSTERDAM (AP) — King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has apologized for his country’s role in slavery and asked forgiveness on the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies. During an emotional address on Saturday, the king said he commissioned a study into the role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery. Recent research showed that the king’s ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of $595 million from it. Willem-Alexander said, “I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity.” Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1, 1863. Most enslaved laborers were forced to continue working on plantations for another decade.