Hoorn not ready to apologize for its historic ties to the slave trade

The municipality of Hoorn said it will not issue an apology for its historic connection to slavery, and also will not officially recognize that past. The Noord-Holland municipality was one of the most important cities tied to the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

At the moment, there is not a City Council majority that would lead to approval of an apology or recognition, the municipality said. Hoorn is willing to have "citywide conversations" about racism and discrimination.

Findings from research about the role Hoorn had in the slave trade were presented at the end of June. The conclusion was that the city played a big part in it. The Hoorn governor-general, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, laid the basis for Dutch involvement in slavery in Asia. His statue stands in the city center. He carried out a massacre on the banda Islands in 1621 in which the few remaining inhabitants were enslaved. The violence gave the Netherlands a monopoly on the trade in nutmeg.

City officials were responsible for the company ships, and thousands of enslaved people were transported and traded under the Hoorn flag. "As one of the few cities that were represented in the VOC and the [West India Company], Hoorn was strongly involved in the Netherlands' system of slavery," according to the researchers.

But Hoorn was not only represented on the board. Many residents traveled to the colonies as sailors, soldiers, artisans, or officials. Horinezen even owned plantations in South America, invested in them, or traded in productions that were created from slave work. "The city and its residents as a whole benefited from colonial and slavery-related industries," the researchers concluded.

When presenting the study, the municipality spoke of a "clear and compelling image of the colonial slavery past" of Hoorn.

The fact that the municipality will not apologize for its historic ties to slavery is "painful and disappointing," said Linda Nooitmeer, the chair of the National Institute for the History and Heritage of Slavery (NiNsee). Yet she was not totally surprised by the decision, saying there were already signs that it would be a difficult matter.

"Slavery and the slave trade are crimes against humanity," she said. And in Hoorn, "there are very clear traces of slavery." She said it really should not be so inconceivable for the City Council to apologize.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte and King Willem-Alexander have apologized earlier, just like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, Utrecht, Vlissingen, Middelburg, Haarlem, the municipalities of Zuid-Holland and Zeeland, the Dutch bank, and ABN AMRO. Also, the city of Groningen wants to apologize.

Nooitmeer welcomed King Willem-Alexander to Keti Koti in Amsterdam last July. It was during that commemoration of the end of slavery that the king apologized on behalf of the Netherlands, and asked for forgiveness. ​​"That was so important for me and for the community. What I heard most after July 1 is that the wounds on the soul have not healed, but have become softer. The question is, will Hoorn find those residents who are asking for an apology important enough to do that? Do you want to respond to the wishes of residents and create a beautiful society?" Nooitmeer said.

The fact that slavery was abolished 150 years ago is not a valid argument against expressing regret, Nootmeer believes. And the fact that Hoorn became wealthy on the back of slavery does not matter to her. "Although Hoorn did not deserve anything from it. Injustice has been done to people. People. The current City Council is not responsible for that, but the Council members can take responsibility. Out of humanity. That is what it is about."