BVI News

UK backs Governor Jaspert’s position on reparations

UK Minister responsible of Overseas Territories, Baroness Elizabeth Sugg. (Photo by Flickr)

Premier Andrew Fahie has revealed the contents of a letter in which the UK government said it fully supports a position recently expressed by Governor Augustus Jaspert on slavery and reparations.  

During a recent interview with 284 Media, Governor Jaspert said paying reparations to the victims of slavery is “not a position that the United Kingdom has taken”. 

Premier Fahie said many Virgin islanders were outraged by the comments, adding that there have been public calls for local leaders to collectively address the governor’s comments. 

In a subsequent letter address to Baroness Elizabeth Sugg, the UK Minister responsible for Overseas Territory, Premier Fahie said he sought to have the people’s voices heard and to bring clarity to the UK’s position on slavery and reparations.

Baroness Sugg responded in a letter saying: “In his interview with 284 media, the governor made clear his belief that slavery is abhorrent and the error of slavery was a horrific period in the world history and the British history that should never be forgotten. This was a part of a broader discussion on racism where the governor emphasized the need to continue tackling and challenging injustice — a position that I fully support.”

The British government expresses deep regret for this country’s past role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. We feel that the most effective way for Britons today to respond is to ensure that future generations do not forget what happened and to work to ensure that slavery has no place in today’s world,” her response letter stated.

Premier disappointed

Premier Fahie said the letter proves that reparations are not part of the UK’s policy. He said he is disappointed in the Baroness’ remarks and has told her this.

Premier Fahie also said “whenever persons tell you to remember anything negative, it’s a matter of control. If you do anything wrong as a child, and you try to do it again, your parents tell you ‘remember what happened last time?’ and you get frightened right away. It’s a subliminal message of control,” Fahie explained.

After slavery was abolished, the UK government pledged £20 million in order to reimburse the owners of slaves. It took that country 182 years to pay that debt which they finished paying in 2015.

To date, the victims of slavery and their descendants have never received reparations.

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44 Comments

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  1. Concerned says:

    While the debate about the lasting effects of Britain’s colonial history is important, there are far more important issues to be addressed today. We are in the middle of the pandemic which is having devastating impacts on the lives of many here in the BVI.

    Surely government time would be better spent supporting those who are on the poverty line, creating transparent re-opening plans, and working collectively to control the borders to stop the importation of COVID 19.

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  2. Duh says:

    Of course y’all racist aholes would

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  3. Duh no ish says:

    Of course y’all racist aholes would

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  4. Mad Max says:

    Smokescreen – what is Fahie trying to cover up by pursuing this in the HOA when there are so many more immediate issues to address.

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  5. Belonger says:

    Why is this our chief focus at this time?(reparation and confusion).
    Shouldn’t the government be using all the resources at their disposal to tackle covid 19,border security, unemployment, underemployment,reopening of the borders and economy safely?
    Mr. Premier, please pick your battles wisely. When we get our country settled then you can tackle these other long term issues.

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  6. Hmmmm says:

    Let’s pack Fahie up and ship him back to his ancestors home. Seems he ain’t happy here.

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    • @Hmmm... says:

      You are slime, plain and simple. You think that reparations is a joke? Our people’s sweat and pain, feed and sustained your evil ancestors throughout the centuries?

      Let me tell you all something…You all engage in segregated practices throughout our nation and the world. It’s like something is missing inside your DNA that makes you humans. ‘But I must say… you all love your pets’.

      Have we ever seen you participate in any events that we locals host? No! Do your children go to our schools? No! Do you wish to live next to us? NO! Yet you and your pets come to our islands to enjoy your wick lives.

      Do you all come to church with us? ‘Maybe one or two’. The majority would rather not go to church at all! You promote the Antichrist agenda because you cannot grasp the fact that if you do not repent and live right with your fellow human beings on earth, you will go to hell. You all truly believe ‘like your ancestors’, that you will never be judged by a greater being that hates the evil inside of you.

      Many of you Europeans care nothing for Africans or any other race, ‘but tolerate the Asians because you found that many of them can be ruled by money’. Maybe a handful of you may have a humane heart for another race; but the majority are shameful as you mostly care more for your Pets and Properties.

      You have a superiority complex and feel that you are entitled to the world, as did their ancestors. Yet the earth and universe itself rejects your bodies for lack of melanin ‘which would give you dark features’.

      Your legacy has remained the same throughout the centuries, as you continually shame and disgrace the future generations of your people.

      You seek for riches throughout the world with cold hearts ‘as did your ancestors’ yet your children remain poor with generational curses on their lives… and why would your child be anything of greatness throughout history? Who were their Martin Luther King‘s, Noel Lloyds and Mohammad Gandhi’s to show them love for humanity? No, your children are left with the ‘Christopher Columbuses, Hitlers and Bate Hills’ genocidal conquerors and rulers, and selfish intellectual industrial minded con-artist as role models.

      Generation after generation your poor child continually suffer the shame and disgrace of their parents’ legacy of racism and Godless inhumanity in their heartless inclusive apartheid culture; and to justify your evils you label this all ‘self preservation’. What a truly ‘enslaved’ bunch of individuals you are!

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    • Comment says:

      Let’s pick you all up and ship you all to your ancestors home too. I believe that is also Africa??? Races sociopaths!

  7. Look at that says:

    Dear Premier, did you really think the UN was going to take your side? You made your Country look shame. I agree, the Governor has nothing to lose, you do. You never consult with the people of you Country about said letter and you want to put the people in the mess. HECK TO THE NO. You got just what your hands call for. STOP ACTING LIKE THE SAND BOX BULLY BY PICKING FIGHTS WITH THE GOVERNOR THAT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT WIN.

    Like 42
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    • Um which UN says:

      Lawd you people does embarrass those with common sense. The report clearly says whose response it is. This is England’s response not the UN. Read people.

      On another note let the table had been turn England would sure bet collect. Stop playing politics people with an issue we should be united on – our ancestors at least deserve that much.

      Like 6
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      • But... says:

        The whole reparations conversation is a nonsense. Asking the Governor if he wants to give BVI people reparations is a waste of time. He can’t do that. He only said it is not the UKs policy and any fool could look that up on Google. “What is UK position on reparations?” He didn’t express a personal choice or preference, he spoke about his employer’s policy. He also said it was a disgusting period of history that should never be forgotten. How can Andrew turn that into a threat?

        To use this useless question as a way to make out he is racist and to “take offense” is so stupid it doesn’t compute.

        But there are those among us who are consciously using the fact that so many are so uneducated, to manipulate them into hatred. People who never studied any history, you tell them one little fact and they run with it like they have the keys to all knowledge. C** and W*****k know this so they are abusing it and spreading hatred like we’ve never seen in these blessed isles. They only doing it for political power. At some time there must be a reckoning and these people deliberately spreading hate should be convicted for damaging the BVI. We already have a crazy law designed to stop outside media doing it, so use it against these people. Imagine just one story in The NY Times or travel press that quote some of those comments to people who want to come here on vacation! Think they want to go somewhere people hate whites? Most of us do not, but these people want to wind the dial up to 11. This is damaging stuff and those people need to be held to account.

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        • Well says:

          That was so common sense and spot on that I think I love you now. I don’t know you but I love you.

          Bravo

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        • They paid the slave owners says:

          Read the article please! “After slavery was abolished, the UK government pledged £20 million in order to reimburse the owners of slaves. It took that country 182 years to pay that debt which they finished paying in 2015”
          That means that the UK paid slave owners in 2015. How many of them were the actual owners of slaves??? NONE. The people in the UK that came up with this were all white (big surprise). I am not being racest. It is just history.
          So reparations’ are not NONSENSE. For you maybe reparations to black people is a problem?

          • @They paid the slave owners! says:

            No need to look for agreements… most blogs on here are white folks. They lack basic humanity logic. Now if a dog or cat was being harmed, they would be marching in the streets and demanding retribution.

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        • Oh says:

          @But… I see what you did there. You read the article, understood the article, and then made comments on the actual contents of the article. How novel.

  8. Omg says:

    Enough with the slavery crap and reparations. The people alive today in the UK did not enslave anyone. There is no one alive today that was a slave. Reparations are paid to the people who were actual hurt and damaged. After WW11, the Germans paid reparations to the surviving Jews of the Holocaust. Decedents of the Jews received nothing. This continuous demand for reparations is old and tiresome. The UK and the US supports and continues to support welfare programs that are for mainly blacks. This form of reparations goes back 50 years. Further in the case of the BVI, your ancestors were given the land that you are living on. Not one of you paid for the land yet many have sold some and made millions. In addition the UK financially supports the BVI. This has slowed to a trickle in recent years because the politicians have been stealing the money. This whole thing with Fahie is to rile the people up for independence so he can become a d*****or. He’s a poor poor leader that needs to go.

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    • AGREE says:

      Agree – Fahie a poor poor leader and bad man that NEEDS TO GO before he and his greedy friends destroy our beutiful BVI. THE DAY OF RECKONING WILL COME.

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  9. Blackness says:

    Well what did you all expect? Its like expecting Trump to condemn the white Nationalists… Come on!

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  10. Sunk to a all time low says:

    The Premier is beginning to look very SHISTY. We have so many pressing and important issues that needs to be addressed. But I guess fighting with the Governor is more important than focusing on the Country.

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  11. I will say says:

    This Premier is a big disappointment. Focus on the important issues that needs to be addressed, not fighting with the Governor. I would agree 100%, the Governor has nothing to lose, you do Mr. Premier, keep it up. This nonsense is going to hurt the people of the Country while you run for cover and safety with you security guards.

    Like 14
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  12. Lucifer says:

    The headline is misleading. This position was the UK Government position from the outset and the Governor was only reiterating this in the original interview. To my knowledge he has never expressed his personal opinion. The lack of people’s comprehension skills to understand this probably explains a lot and why it is so easy for the local politicians to continue robbing the local community blind, while throwing shade at the Governor as a distraction tactic

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  13. lawman says:

    what a curious episode. it seems like the big man may be unwell, or not thinking clearly. how can he really be surprised or need a letter from the uk to “prove” that reparations are not part of the UK policy.

    did he think that the uk had a secret policy to pay reparations, but were unwilling to reveal the secret because they didn’t want to spoil the surprise?

    the large man needs to apologise to the governor. all the governor did was state a fact: that reparations are not currently uk policy. he didn’t comment on whether or not that was the right thing. stating a fact is not being a racist.

    somebody needs to go sit down.

    Like 24
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  14. Rain Dance says:

    I look forward for C.S.C, for his SAY on how the U.K respond.

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  15. vip heckler says:

    Claude and fahie them looking more money to burn

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  16. Gunshot says:

    You can easily read through each comment and you can tell who is racist and who isn’t. Too much racist ***** people in the BVI and its unhealthy. Instead of saying things like telling the premier needs to go back to his ancestors why don’t you pack up and leave back to the hills and caves where you came from? Stop being racist! Then this other ***** talking about the UN taking sides like them aint know the UK already pulled away from the UN. Racist always quick to go off topic and talk a bunch of irrelevant nonsense. The premier is doing a dam good job and if you racist dont like it then pack up and leave. Im sure there are many caves in those mountains of caucasus

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  17. Well says:

    Now I think I love “But” but I know I love you.

    Like for real!

    🙂

    I was just going to give these people a piece of my mind about this stupidness about reparations.
    YOU. OWN. THE. LAND.

    For the love of all that is holy, go sit down with this talk.

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  18. Eagle Eyes says:

    Tradition and heritage, it belongs to the English man, European man, American, Australian, China man, African man, the diaspora man and all other men. So to the current BVI descendants of human people forced into slavery belong to a tradition and a heritage. British royalty and its representatives in the OT’s do not now nor can never represent an Afro peoples’ heritage. He who thinks so is an historical, cultural and human fool.

    Therefore, issues regarding slavery, apartheid, colonialism and neocolonialism, were birthed control system of the past, and are still in place today, for the most part.

    Sadly, judging from the comments parading around the BVI for the last decade or more now, increasing more and more in vicious racist hateful venom, many would like to see the brutal elements of those systems reappear today right here in the BVI and across the world.

    Luckily, there are many elders, middle agers, and some younger generations who are now blessed with eagle eyes.

    Hence, the war will be manifesting itself on many fronts, through many soldiers and on many forums. Freedom will prevail over evil domination.

    Like 2
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  19. E. Leonard says:

    Hon Premier A. Fahie (R1) may be disappointed but should not be surprised about Baroness Sugg’s public response to Governor AJU Jaspert comment on reparation, retaining local landmark names and the redeployment of HMS Medley in VI waters against Premier Fahie’s desire to hold the ship’s redeployment in abeyance. Holding something in abeyance is not a outright refusal. Nonetheless, it would have earth shattering news if the Baroness had publicly responded differently.

    Typically, in any organization, a superior would not chastise a subordinate in public unless the subordinate’s behavior was so egregious and injurious to the organization or the behaviour was not in the superior’s self or best interest. None of these two conditions existed. The position on reparation, though disgraceful, disrespectful and disparaging, was the UK’s position and the Baroness’ self interest was not impugned.

    Further, any action taken, if any, against the governor was a private personnel issue. Moreover, did anyone really expect the Baroness to publicly side with Premier Fahie against the Governor? If so I have some mineral-rich land on the carvel between Cooper and Ginger for sale cheap.

    Moreover, some decisions don’t have any clear cut right or wrong answer. Some skirmishes or battles may not be won but needs fighting. Any VI to the bone politician had a duty and a responsibility to respond forcefully to such nonchalant, flippant and tone deaf comment on reparation that wantonly disrespected the dehumanizing, brutalizing and terrorizing treatment of their ancestors and foreparents. The West Minister styled political system in the VI is adversarial and many only see self interest, playing short-term, not deep and long-term ball.

    Furthermore, the VI cannot and should not let reparation issue rest. It must work cooperatively and collaboratively with Caricom, UN and other world bodies to the end of the earth until slave descendants are made whole.

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    • FAMU Rattler Nation says:

      Fellow Rattler, well said. Sure, Premier Fahie, a fellow Rattler will appreciate the support. Sure too you spend sometime at the Stoop. The Rattler Strike, Strike and Strike again. Rattlers don’t cower and move ahead with full steam.

      Like 2
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  20. Hypocrisy and Self Denia; says:

    “Enough with the slavery crap and reparations.” Tell that to the Jews, Slavs, Polocks, Japanise, Chinese and others. So why tell it to us? “The people alive today in the UK did not enslave anyone. There is no one alive today that was a slave.”

    That statement is nonfiction. But tell that to the Jews, Slavs, Polock, Japanise, Chinese and others. So why tell it to us?

    Indeed, the people alive in the UK did not enslave the Black race. That is an accurate statement, but a very shallow one and one that conveniently eliminates all ethical, moral and financial responsibility from the UK for addressing and paying reparations.

    Which is utter rubbish!!. Every group under the sun that was unduly disadvantaged was duly paid. Why not the Black race? We are the only race that have made all other races sinfully rich, but especially the white race, yet they still think it a crime to pay us for the crimes their fore parents committed against us; and still refuse to even consider thinking about thinking about giving us what is owed to us. Why is that?

    Yet, though none of them have enslaved, brutalized, raped, murdered and done any horrendous atrocities to Black people while becoming rich off of them, they are the direct descendants of and direct beneficiaries of the wealth the slaves produced. From the throne all the way down to the very fabric that is keeping that nation together economically is a direct result of Black slave produced wealth.

    Say that is not so and God will strike you down right where you stand.

    Only one who knows not history would write to contrary.

    Sadly, hypocrisy, historical and self-denial have no bounds.

    So many still think the majority of BVIsalnders, locals, squatters, Blacks, natives or whatever else they refer to us as behind their closed minds, think that we are dumb, deaf, blind, unread and unknowing.

    And, that whatever they write on social media we will accept as truth and run with it. Well, too many have spent too many countless hours studying countless books of history to be become bamboozled and fools now, And, to the Black folks that still think that way, please hurry up and wake the hell up before it is to late!

    Facts will always overrule convenient musings.

    Like 4
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    • Disinterested says:

      Well said! It is hard to deny facts.

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    • Charles Dickens Hard Times says:

      Thomas Gradgrind in Charles Dickens Hard Times promotes cold hard facts. Your presentation is cold hard facts. All haters and deniers would be able to do is hit the Dislike button. This is a feel good exercise that does not disprove the facts.

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  21. But says:

    Question – what happens when the poor of Angola, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Somalia and Russia and China and even Britain and others come knocking on the door of the BVI demanding reparations for the money stolen from their countries that disappeared through the trap door of BVI company formation?
    Will we be willing to pay them reparations? We got rich from the misery forcibly imposed on them. To set history right, we should repay those who suffered while we prospered from their suffering, should we not?
    But what will we argue? “It was legal! And we were just people of our time. That’s how it was in those days. People didn’t see it as wrong … “ and all the same arguments you no doubt dismantle with your great and deep scholarship of African and Empire history that makes you feel so wise you can now pass judgement on innocent people as if you are God herself.
    Please, get back in the library and read some more. And don’t come out until you’re not just a wise person of African descent, but a wise human being.

    Like 3
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  22. Eagle and Buffalo says:

    It is not a surprise that Baroness Sugg offers her full throated support for Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert on his perhaps inartful or deliberate comment on reparation for the descendants of VI slaves and keeping the name of pirates, buccaneers, thieves, murderers, criminals……..etc on local landmarks in the interest of history. Unadulterated nonsense. Bad actors and persons of questionable characters should not be recognized and rewarded as good personal examples and exemplary behaviour and actions. In fact, they need to be place on the wall of shame.

    With the full support of the English, British and UK governments, slave traders, slave owners……..etc enslaved slaves and exploited, dehumanized, ill-treated them. Slaves through their blood, sweat, tears and much pain through their value as chattel property, forceful labour………etc produced innumerable wealthy White Britons, produced products for use in British factories….etc. Slave labour built the UK economy.

    However, despite their great contributions, the only people that have not benefited from slavery are slaves and their descendants. The UK borrowed £20,000, 000 to pay slave owners. Clearly, neither Jasper, Sugg, Johnson, Windsor……etc give a rat’s butt about the exploitation of slaves and their attitude towards to their descendants is get over it. We are the superior race! They cannot even bring themselves to offer a simple apology. But why should they, for they are just some n…..as.

    Disappointedly, except for tangential reference by the Premier Fahie and S. Flax-Charles, the other 11 elected members all of whom are of African descent to my knowledge are as quiet as church mouses on the disrespectful reparation comment. The silence is deafening and sickening. Grown men and women perhaps are still afraid of massa. What a bunch of House Sl…..s or N…as.

    [Let’s lead like eagles, not careen off the cliff like buffaloes]

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  23. E. Leonard says:

    Under Colonialism in the West Indies and Subsaharan Africa, England/Great Britain/UK ruled by strict control, extractive political and economic institutions and indirect rule (eg chiefs in Sierra Leone…….etc). Interestingly, many of the countries in both the West Indies/Caribbean and Subsaharan Africa in post-independence have adopted some of the same extractive practices, ie, the few, the elites, are exploiting resources and the many for the good of the few.

    Moreover, it seems as if the UK wants to employ the same Colonialism practices through neocolonialism. VI residents must be vigilant and not fall prey to the same practices, eg, creating adversarial relationship between the people and local government to rationalize their performance and behaviour.

    • Quiet Storm says:

      @ E. Leonard, clear and un-muddied understanding of the UK’s agenda, how they have operated in past centuries and how they are attempting to operate today, despite lost glory. The population must resist the divide and rule strategy that they successfully employed in the past and is still influencing some of our thinking today. Time to put Willie Lynch to permanently to rest.

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