PROTESTS greeted an apology by the King of the Netherlands on Saturday for his country’s role in slavery as he asked for forgiveness during a historic speech at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies.

King Willem-Alexander’s speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology late last year for the country’s role in the slave trade. 

The public expressions of remorse are part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement.

The monarch referred back to the prime minister’s apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: “I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.”

That isn’t enough for some in the Netherlands. 

Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organised a protest march before the king’s speech on Saturday under the banner: “No healing without reparations.”

“We say that an apology is not enough. An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations,” Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas said.