{"id":272471,"date":"2026-04-09T10:24:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=272471"},"modified":"2026-04-09T10:25:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:25:03","slug":"caricom-condemns-uk-party-proposal-to-block-visas-over-reparations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/caricom-condemns-uk-party-proposal-to-block-visas-over-reparations\/","title":{"rendered":"CARICOM Condemns UK Party Proposal to Block Visas Over Reparations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) has strongly condemned a proposal by Britain\u2019s right-wing Reform UK party to halt all new visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and 18 other Caribbean countries pursuing slavery reparations.<\/p>

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Reform UK said the \u201cReparations Lock\u201d would apply to work, study, family, and visitor visas. Party spokesperson Zia Yusuf described reparations claims as \u201cinsulting,\u201d arguing Britain should be credited for abolishing slavery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, CRC chairman, criticised the proposal as a continuation of \u201ctoxic racism,\u201d warning that punishing victims seeking justice echoes arguments used to oppose emancipation in 1833. He highlighted that the 1833 Emancipation Act compensated slave owners, not the enslaved, who were forced into four years of unpaid labour to fund their own freedom.<\/p>

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Other CRC officials, including Dobrene O\u2019Marde and Professor Verene Shepherd, emphasised the historical and regional sacrifices made to achieve emancipation, challenging Reform UK\u2019s claims of British benevolence.<\/p>

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The CRC reaffirmed its commitment to government-to-government dialogue and urged European leaders to engage on reparatory justice. The issue is expected to feature prominently at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda later this year, where the CRC plans a major reparations event.<\/p>\n

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The CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) has strongly condemned a proposal by Britain\u2019s right-wing Reform UK party to halt all new visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and 18 other Caribbean countries pursuing slavery reparations. Reform UK said the \u201cReparations Lock\u201d would apply to work, study, family, and visitor visas. Party spokesperson Zia Yusuf described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":272472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCARICOM Condemns UK Party Proposal to Block Visas Over Reparations - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/caricom-condemns-uk-party-proposal-to-block-visas-over-reparations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CARICOM Condemns UK Party Proposal to Block Visas Over Reparations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) has strongly condemned a proposal by Britain\u2019s right-wing Reform UK party to halt all new visas for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and 18 other Caribbean countries pursuing slavery reparations. Reform UK said the \u201cReparations Lock\u201d would apply to work, study, family, and visitor visas. 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