Brazil’s Minister of Racial Equality called for “concrete action” from Portugal this Wednesday following an “important and compelling” statement by the President of the Republic in which he proposed paying reparations for colonial-era crimes.
“This statement is really very important and convincing,” Aniel Franco told Brazil’s G1, referring to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s statements in which he accepted Portugal’s responsibility for crimes committed during the colonial era, offering reparations for mistakes committed during the colonial era. era. past.
“This is the first time we are having a debate on this issue at the international level,” said the Brazilian minister, sister of former councilor Marielle Franco, who was killed in 2018, adding that such statements are “the fruit of centuries of demands from black people.” Population” .
However, Aniel Franco stressed that “this declaration must be followed by concrete actions, as the President himself said.” [de Portugal] Looks like they’re going to do it there.”
“Our team is already in contact with the Portuguese government to discuss how these actions should be treated and what steps will be taken going forward,” he said.
The President of the Republic said on Tuesday during a dinner with foreign correspondents in Portugal that Portugal “must pay the costs.”
“Are there actions that were not punished and the perpetrators were not arrested? Are there assets that were looted and not returned? Let’s see how we can correct this,” Marcelo Rebelo de Souza said, as quoted by Reuters.
At the event, Rebelo de Sousa said Portugal “takes full responsibility” for the mistakes of the past and remembers that there is a price to pay for these crimes, including colonial massacres.
A year ago, at the welcome meeting of Brazilian President Lula da Silva, which preceded the ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 49th anniversary of April 25 in the Assembly of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that Portugal owed an apology, but above all, he had to take full responsibility for exploitation and slavery during the colonial period.
“It’s not just apologizing – no doubt properly – for what we did, because apologizing is sometimes the easiest thing to do: you apologize, turn your back, and it’s done. No, it’s taking responsibility for the future of what we’ve done. We’ve done it both well and badly in the past,” he defended.
Over more than four centuries, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported long distances by mostly European ships and traders, and sold into slavery.