Province of Zeeland to apologize for its role in slavery on July 1

The Province of Zeeland will apologize for its role in slavery. The Provincial Executive stated on Wednesday that July 1 is a "suitable occasion" for this act, as it will mark the official start of the Slavery Memorial Year, which runs until July 1, 2024. This year represents the 150th anniversary of the practical abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom.

Amid societal debates regarding the legacy of slavery and the commemorative year, the Province of Zeeland commissioned Henk den Heijer, Professor Emeritus in Maritime History at Leiden University, to research the province's past connection to slavery. In his report, Den Heijer concluded that the current provincial executive board of Zeeland could be seen as the "legal successor to the early modern States of Zeeland that were partially responsible for Zeeland's participation in the slave trade and enslavement of people.

With the trading cities of Middleburg, Veere, and Vlissingen, the Province of Zeeland played an important role in the trade of enslaved people.

The report highlighted that the regents of Middelburg, who served as city administrators and commissioners in the States of Zeeland – the region's highest governing body from 1574 to 1795 – were the most important directors of the Dutch West India Company (WIC) and the Middelburg Commercial Company (MCC). These individuals also contributed investments to plantation colonies and plantations that employed slave labor.

The deputies of Zeeland's provincial executive wrote that "none of us are personally guilty of the slavery of that era." However, they also stated that "a large number of Zeeland's authority figures and others systematically and horrendously dehumanized tens of thousands of their fellow men and women."

With this move, Zeeland will become the third Dutch province to issue an apology for its role in slavery. This follows the recent apology made last week by the Province of Zuid-Holland for its historical involvement in slavery. The first apology came from Noord-Holland in 2022.

In December 2022, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte formally apologized on behalf of the Dutch State for the country’s involvement in enslaving people during the colonial era. In April 2023, the City Council of Vlissingen decided to apologize for the municipality’s role in the slavery past on July 1 this year. A narrow majority voted in favor of the proposal.