“AND this statement is really very important and forceful”, said Anielle Franco to the Brazilian portal G1, referring to statements by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in which he recognized Portugal’s responsibilities for crimes committed during the colonial era, suggesting the payment of reparations for the errors of the past.
“For the first time we are having a debate of this dimension at an international level”, highlighted the Brazilian minister, sister of former councilor Marielle Franco, murdered in 2018, adding that such statements are “the fruit of centuries of demands from the black population” .
Still, Anielle Franco stressed that “this declaration needs to be followed by concrete actions, as the President himself [de Portugal] seems to be there committing to do it.”
“Our team is already in contact with the Portuguese Government to discuss how to think about these actions and from here what steps will be taken”, he said.
The President of the Republic, on Tuesday, during a dinner with foreign correspondents in Portugal stated that Portugal “has to pay the costs”.
“Are there actions that were not punished and those responsible were not arrested? Are there assets that were looted and were not returned? Let’s see how we can repair this”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, quoted by the Reuters agency.
At the event, Rebelo de Sousa said that Portugal “takes full responsibility” for the mistakes of the past and remembers that these crimes, including colonial massacres, had costs.
A year ago, in the welcoming session for Brazilian President Lula da Silva, which preceded the solemn session commemorating the 49th anniversary of the 25th of April in the Assembly of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa argued that Portugal owed an apology, but above all, he had to take full responsibility for exploitation and slavery in the colonial period.
“It’s not just apologizing – duly, without a doubt – for what we did, because apologizing is sometimes the easiest thing to do, you apologize, turn your back, and the job is done. No, it’s taking responsibility for the future of what we did, good and bad, 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 merchants, and sold into slavery.
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2547919/brasil-pede-acoes-apos-declaracao-de-marcelo-sobre-reparacao-colonial
