Indigenous leaders whose lands were once colonized by them Britishthey called him today King Charles III to apologize for “age-old racism” and the role the crown has played in oppressing its peoples.

Representatives of indigenous communities from twelve Commonwealth countries wrote to the monarch demanding a formal apology, as well as financial compensation and the return of cultural property that was taken from them as booty.

These representatives joined their voices to help their population “recover from centuries of racism, oppression, colonialism and slavery”.

The letter is signed by the leaders of the indigenous peoples of Australia, where the first peoples were driven from their lands, subjected to forced labor and destroyed during the bloody conflicts with the settlers. The leaders of the Caribbean Community also signed it.

Although King Charles has stepped up efforts in recent years to restore dialogue with Aboriginal representatives, emphasizing that the crown must “recognize the injustices that have shaped our past,” the letter urges him to go further.

According to Aboriginal lawyer Hannah McGlade, the issue of financial compensation is becoming a constant in Aboriginal lawsuits.

“We are seeing more and more members of indigenous communities asking the royal family for reparations for the injustice their people have suffered,” he explains to AFP.

“Under their leadership, a genocide took place,” the lawyer assesses.

The letter was also signed by indigenous leaders in Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}