Dutch leader pledges ‘meaningful’ response to slavery report

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is set to deliver a speech in response to a report into the country’s historical role in the global slave trade, amid reports it could include a formal government apology. Rutte has so far said only that his speech Monday at the National Archive will be a “meaningful moment,” without elaborating. News of a possible apology has upset some activist groups in the Netherlands and its former colonies. They believe that an apology should be delivered next year on the July 1 anniversary of the abolition of slavery 160 years ago.