King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were prevented from attending a working visit to a museum on slavery by a group of demonstrators in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday. This is reported by reporters from various media who are on site. Security guards had to forcefully guide the royal couple through the crowd. They arrived at the car unscathed. The royal couple are in South Africa at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who accepted the king’s apology for the history of slavery on Thursday.
In front of the museum, called Slave Lodge, there were demonstrators belonging to the Khoisan, part of the indigenous population of South Africa. They had signs with texts such as ‘you are stealing our culture’, ‘we were the first’ and ‘we want compensation’. King Willem-Alexander talked to the demonstrators before entering the museum. An employee tried to calm the mood by saying that the royal couple would hear about “the terrible history” of slavery in the museum. That didn’t work, the crowd just got angrier. Then Willem-Alexander went into the museum with Máxima. When they came out the foreclosure took place.
South African President Ramaphosa accepted an apology for the king’s slavery past on Thursday. “We are committed to building bridges of tolerance to pursue a better future and world,” the president said. “Therefore, Your Majesty, I would like to acknowledge the apology you have made for your country’s role in the history of slavery, including that in South Africa. This was an important step towards reconciliation, repair and healing of old wounds.”
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