The Earl and Countess of Wessex have been met with banners protesting towards British colonialism on the second leg of their Caribbean tour.
Edward and Sophie had initially acquired a pleasant welcome on their go to to St Vincent and the Grenadines, however a gaggle of round 15 protesters displayed placards as they made their method to Authorities Home on the island on Saturday.
Banners on present included “finish to colonialism” and “#CompensationNow”.
The protests come shortly after warnings from the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Assist Fee, which urged Edward and Sophie to keep away from “phoney sanctimony” over slavery.
In an open letter to the pair, the organisation stated: “We hear the phony sanctimony of those that got here earlier than you that these crimes are a ‘stain in your historical past’.
“For us, they're the supply of genocide and of continuous deep worldwide damage, injustice and racism.
“We hope you'll respect us by not repeating the mantra.
“We aren't simpletons.”
Different placards used within the protest on Saturday included “down with neo-colonialism” and “Britain your debt is excellent”.
The demonstration comes shortly after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been criticised for some components of their latest Caribbean tour, deemed to hark again to colonial days.
Earlier than the protest, Edward and Sophie acquired their second purple carpet and guard of honour of the tour after touchdown in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday, as scouts, woman guides and cadets waved the nationwide flag.
Metal drums enjoying One Love by Bob Marley was the backdrop to the couple’s official welcome to the island.
The reception for the couple was initially pleasant, and so they have been introduced with a bouquet of flowers by main faculty pupil Ashley Church.
Earlier than standing on a platform to watch a guard of honour, Edward was greeted by governor common Dame Susan Dougan, adopted by appearing prime minister Montgomery Daniel.
The couple carried out separate engagements for a part of their one-day journey to the island.
Sophie, who wore a floral costume on Saturday, visited a neighborhood faculty, the place she was welcomed by the La Gracia Dance Firm.
The dancers, all of quite a lot of ages, placed on a brief efficiency for the countess to a tune with lyrics reminiscent of “welcome to St Vincent”.
She posed for photos with the kids earlier than heading onto numerous stalls arrange subsequent to the faculty theatre.
The countess then met representatives of two organisations – Individuals With Disabilities, and the Society Of And For The Blind.
Sophie, who's a world ambassador for the Worldwide Company for the Prevention of Blindness, included it as a part of schedule with a view to proceed her work championing the necessity for for help and equality for blind and partially sighted folks.
She additionally sat with representatives of ladies’s teams and enterprise leaders to listen to about their experiences of final 12 months’s eruption of the La Soufriere volcano.
On the similar time, Edward visited the island’s nationwide stadium the place he met athletes coaching for Birmingham’s Commonwealth Video games.
He noticed two dash races held in honour of the Platinum Jubilee.
The earl additionally watched the tip of a T10 girls’s cricket match and met a few of the nation’s netball and tennis groups.
In a while Saturday, after the couple had lunch with the governor common and the islands’ appearing prime minister, they visited the botanical gardens.
Sophie nearly had her sun shades knocked off by a pleasant Amazona guildingii, the island’s nationwide chook, as they toured the aviary.
The pair additionally planted a tree to mark the Queen’s 70 years as monarch, and visited a tree planted by the earl on a earlier go to to the nation.
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