'Who should judge historical acts and decide whether or not they were crimes in the first place'?The key question for can one really assess on a criminal basis acts that were considered legal at the time ?And also how does one assess the effect today on the descendants of those who were enslaved in the past ?If there were to be a Truth and Reconciliation Commission -1) Who would be called to give evidence regarding their participation ?a) The British of course for both the part it played both in the trade AND its parliamentary and military steps to bring the practice to an end ?Netted against the benefits Britain accrued from slavery should also be the benefits of improved infrastructure and political and legal systems we left behind for the descendants of slaves, even though one must concede this was not an intentional act of generosity.And let us also not forget the right given to the descendants of slaves to reside in this country on an equal footing with indigenous Britons.b) Members of the African tribes that raided other tribes to capture their menfolk to be sold as slaves ?c) The Arab traders who bought the slaves for onward sale to the British plantation owners in the Caribbean ?d) The Portuguese and French governments who continued to enforce slavery long after the British stopped ?2) What criteria would be used to assess the 'direct effects certain crimes in the past are having today ?As I have pointed out much slavery is still occurring.Would it not be more productive to challenge this rather than wring our hands over something which now as far as Britain is concerned, is over, done and dusted ?Finally it should be noted that the Arabs were also heavily involved in slavery according to Wiki and not just the 'wicked, western whites''The trans-Saharan slave trade, also known as the Arab slave trade, was a slave trade in which slaves were mainly transported across the Sahara. Most were moved from sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa to be sold to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations; a small percentage went the other direction.Estimates of the total number of black slaves moved from sub-Saharan Africa to the Arab world range from 6 to 10 million, and the trans-Saharan trade routes conveyed a significant number of this total, with one estimate tallying around 7.2 million slaves crossing the Sahara from the mid-7th century until the 20th century when it was abolished. The Arabs managed and operated the trans-Saharan slave trade, although Berbers were also actively involved.Alongside Black Africans, Turks, Iranians, Europeans and Berbers were among the people traded by the Arabs, with the trade being practised throughout the Arab world, primarily in Western Asia, North Africa, East Africa, and Europe'.
John Hawkes ● 72d