Barbados ‘pauses’ acquisition of former slavery plantation owned by Tory MP

By Catarina Demony (Reuters) – Barbados will halt the acquisition of a former slavery plantation belonging to a British Conservative MP after locals said he should transfer land ownership to the state as a “reparations gesture” for historical wrongs. Multiple generations of people were enslaved at the 250-hectare Drax Hall plantation in Saint George, Barbados, a Caribbean nation that received at least 600,000 Africans between 1627 and 1833. They were forcibly put to work in sugar plantations, earning fortunes for English owners such as the Drax family. The Drax Hall plantation has belonged to the family since the 17th century and is currently owned by Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset. Barbados’ government has been considering buying around 21 hectares of the Drax Hall plantation to build homes for low- and middle-income families, according to Prime Minister Mia Mottley. David Comissiong, Barbados ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and a well-known reparations advocate, said in a statement Drax, a wealthy British MP, was set to receive around £3 million if the deal was to go ahead. Comissiong said the land of the Drax Hall plantation was “soaked in the blood, sweat and tears” of 30,000 enslaved people who were “worked...