A hardline reparations campaigner dramatically accused the King of 'walking in a crime scene' on his Caribbean tour yesterday as Andy Burnham signalled a volte face on a public apology for slavery.
Lawyer Bert Samuels, the Deputy Chair of the Jamaican National Reparations Committee, said that the King should not expect cheering crowds and flag waving on Caribbean streets when the country was 'in mourning' for the past.
And while the PM indicated for the first time yesterday that a formal apology could be on the cards contrary to previous government policy, Mr Samuels said there was no 'common wealth' among Commonwealth countries, suggesting he would only be satisfied with financial recompense.
Asked about the King's visit and this week's Commonwealth leaders' conference in a BBC interview, he said: 'It should be looked at by him that when he puts a foot on the soil of the Caribbean, he is walking in a crime scene so at this Commonwealth conference, there is no common wealth – there is no wealth that is common amongst us – it's abject poverty – and these are issues that we want to be resolved.
'A simple 'we regret what happened' is not sufficient. King Charles cannot walk into the Caribbean and think that he will be greeted by young children waving flags lining the streets.
Mr Samuels, who was instrumental in Jamaica filing a landmark petition to the King in September calling for reparations for the enslavement of Africans on the island, told Radio 4's Today programme:
'We have nothing to celebrate. We have a lot to mourn at what has happened to our country and to our people.'
The outspoken Jamaican has been a longtime campaigner for slavery reparations and previously targeted the King in May when he posted a picture of him in ceremonial garb at the state opening of Parliament on social media with the comment 'How much of those Jewels in His Crown belongs to Our People?'
Bert Samuels, deputy chairman of Jamaica's National Reparations Committee, said the King was effectively 'walking in a crime scene' by visiting the Caribbean because of Britain's historical involvement in slavery.
Britain's King Charles III inspects an honour guard alongside the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams, upon arrival at VC Bird International Airport in St. John's
A Jamaican delegation travelled to the UK on September 7 to lodge the petition with the King, calling on him to ensure justice for the island.
The petition has since been passed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for consideration.
Jamaica's Culture Minister Olivia Grange said the petition was intended to take Jamaica's reparations claim from Britain 'to the next level'.
At the time, she said the request was being made to the King 'in his capacity as Head of State of Jamaica and from whom we expect protection' and had the full support of the Caribbean community.
'It is really a very big deal, and the world is watching us,' she said. 'What we are doing is historic, unprecedented and a major development in the reparatory justice movement. The tide is changing. We are getting things done.'
But opponents include former Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption, who says 'Jamaica is actively taking advantage of a Britain that is 'riven by self-doubt and guilt' and 'no longer confident in itself' in order to extract a massive financial payout'.
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