The King of Belgium refused to apologize for his country's colonial past in Africa, sparking a renewed debate about the legacy left by his predecessor Leopold II, whose rule - described as terrorist - in the Congo claimed millions of lives.
The report of the British newspaper “The Times” today, Saturday, pointed out that Leopold, the great-uncle of the current King Philip, ran the “Congo Free State” as a private fiefdom between 1885 and 1908, during which at least 10 million Congolese died, more than Half of the population, either dead or killed.
His reign was the inspiration for Heart of Darkness, Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad's 1902 novel, which featured the harrowing indictment of colonial plunder and brutality, a period many historians see as epitomizing the worst excesses of imperialism.
A crime against humanity
Leopold's colonial policy gave rise to the term "crime against humanity" with the imposition of power in his name through massacres of collective punishment, murder, torture, amputations and forced labor on the rubber plantations.
The newspaper stated that after two years of searching for the national self and forming a special parliamentary committee to examine how the country could reconcile with the former colonies in the territories of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, Belgium had reached a dead end.
The talks collapsed this week after Wouter de Vriendt, the committee chair, broke his silence to argue that the apology represented a "red line" for the country's monarchy, which still plays an important constitutional role.
"There have been messages from the royal palace that a number of red lines have been crossed," de Vriendt said.
No apology
Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported that the king told Alexandre de Croo, the prime minister, last month that apologies and compensation were out of the question.
It is worth noting that the king had previously expressed his "regret" for what happened during a trip to the Congo last June, and the palace's initiative meant that the liberals of the Belgian Liberal Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Party, and especially the Dutch-speaking Flemish camp, would go no further. So.
On the other hand, the French-speaking Socialist and Green parties demanded a full apology and compensation to Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.
But "the differences between the parties are irreconcilable," said de Vriendt.
Like their country, the Belgian royals are divided over the legacy of colonialism and Leopold, who died in 1909. While he is largely seen as a source of national shame, he is celebrated by numerous statues and memorials as the "builder of Belgium" for his program of modernization. built on colonial gains.
The newspaper confirmed that despite divided Belgium's retreat from a full apology - which could open the door to compensation - the Belgians have begun to review a past that most of them consider disturbing and shameful.