When Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived in Jamaica on Tuesday as part of their royal tour of the Caribbean in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s upcoming Platinum Jubilee, they were met by a growing movement to remove the Queen as their country’s head of state.
People Magazine reported that a coalition of Jamaican politicians, business leaders, doctors and musicians sent an open letter to William and Kate in which they blasted the Queen as they explained that they are intent on “removing the shackles of [Jamaica’s] colonial past” by August 6, the sixtieth anniversary of Jamaica getting independence from Great Britain.
The coalition wants to sever any ties with the British monarchy, and to make Jamaica a republic, rather than the constitutional monarchy that it is today.
“We see no reason to celebrate 70 years of the ascension of your grandmother to the British throne because her leadership, and that of her predecessors, has perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind,” they reportedly wrote in the letter in a clear attack on the 95 year-old Queen.
Related: Queen Elizabeth Sends Message To Barbados After It Cut Ties With The UK To Become A Republic
Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange called on the Reparations Council this past weekend to “continue to work impatiently for justice for the atrocities committed against our ancestors, and those which flow from this history and persist against our people today.”
Grange went on to “step up the pace” when it comes to cutting ties with the monarchy, adding that the time for “talk” is over, with “action” being what is needed now.
NPR reported that protesters took to the streets of Jamaica to protest against William and Kate’s visit.
“Kings, Queens and Princesses and Princes belong in fairytales, NOT in Jamaica!” read one sign.
Maziki Thame, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, said that the people of Jamaica have been trying to get reparation from the British for many years.
“This is not a new cause. The question is whether it will get any traction…whether the British are ready to contend with their history,” she said, adding that there are very few Jamaicans who have any interest in celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which makes her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.
“That doesn’t speak to us in the way they might imagine that speaks to us,” Thame said. “In the 20th century, Jamaicans have moved beyond celebrating the crown.”
Find out more about this movement in the video below.
Beenie Man, a Jamaican singer, claimed earlier this week that the commonwealth of Jamaica is still controlled by the U.K.
“It’s all about the Queen, and the Queen serve and the Queen this and that – but what are they doing for Jamaica?” he said. “They’re not doing anything for us.”
William and Kate are currently scheduled to spend two days in Jamaica, and they will spend that time meeting with government officials and touring various areas.
Queen Elizabeth has yet to respond publicly to the attacks on her by the people of Jamaica, but we can’t imagine that this feels very good, particularly at this time in her life.
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