CAMPAIGNERS hailed a “historic moment” as Jamaica filed a petition for slavery reparations to King Charles today.

A delegation of government representatives and legal experts from the Caribbean island travelled to London asking the King to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the judicial committee of the Privy Council, which remains the former British colony’s highest court of appeal.

Human rights campaigner Zita Holbourne said the petition is “indeed a historical moment in the ongoing campaign for reparations.

“Reparations for all descendants is not just about finance but about healing, ending generational trauma and being able to live in peace.

“The question is that the history is there, the call for reparations is known so why must we keep making or demanding the request for them? Reparations are way overdue.”

However, Ms Holbourne warned that Britain’s “track record so far on reparations has been woeful.”

Ms Holbourne added that for reparations to have a real impact in our lifetimes, the government must also “stop all laws and policies which enable the ongoing detention and deportation of the Windrush generation and their descendants and create an amnesty for descendants reparations for enslavement of African people.

“It must include not just compensation to direct descendants but action to stop systemic racism, to achieve race equality, to stop race discrimination in service provision, housing, education and employment and a redistribution of wealth.

“Plus actions by those institutions who have gained wealth as a direct result of the brutal act of enslavement, torture and murder of African people.”

Caribbean Labour Solidarity’s Luke Daniels told the Star the petition is “an important development in the demand for reparations.

“Royalty was deeply involved in the business of slavery and it is fitting that they support the movement for restorative justice. An unequivocal apology from King Charles would be the first step in the right direction.”

Leading the delegation, Jamaican minister Olivia Grange said the petition marked “one of the most significant developments in Jamaica’s history since our emancipation in the 1830s.”

It asks the King to ask whether the forced transport of Africans to Jamaica was lawful, if it was a crime against humanity, and if Britain is under an obligation to provide restitution to Jamaica for slavery and its enduring consequences.

Ms Grange said that these questions and a privy council response were critical to progressing the country’s reparations claims.