Sir Lenny Henry Wants £18 Trillion of Slavery Reparations
The beleaguered UK Government is facing a call for £18 trillion of slavery reparations to be paid to British black people, apparently regardless of whether they are descended from slaves or not. The Telegraph has the story:
The comedian has co-written a book, titled The Big Payback, which supports the case for the UK to hand over £18 trillion in compensatory payments.
Sir Lenny has argued not only in favour of a vast cash transfer to Caribbean nations, but also for money to be given to individual black British citizens.
Writing in the forthcoming book, Sir Lenny considers the position that “all black British people… need reparations for slavery”, subsequently arguing that “we personally deserve money for the effects of slavery”.
The Telegraph notes that the majority of British black people come from Africa, not slave colonies:
Most of Britain’s 2.4 million black population is of direct African descent, and therefore not the descendants of people enslaved in the Caribbean.
While this is not directly addressed in the book, the two authors argue that as modern racism was brought about by the slave trade, and all black people suffer the effects of racism, therefore all black people should be given redress.
Sir Lenny argues that “the reason we have racism today and also… why black British people are grossly over-represented in the prison population” – along with other disparities such as higher levels of black unemployment – are “all because of the transatlantic slave trade”.
The book argues that it is fair for Britain to pay reparations, despite no one alive today possibly having any direct involvement in the slavery either as a perpetrator or victim.
It is a passing matter of interest that in 1789 that a former slave called Olaudah Equiano published his autobiography in London. The book caused a sensation and played a significant role in the antislavery movement in Britain. Born in 1745, Equiano was the son of an elder (“My father, besides many slaves, had a numerous family”) in a West African community. He described how his father and other elders owned slaves and enslaved others as punishments for a variety of crimes such as adultery, as well as how his own people sold slaves to passing “mahogany-coloured” slave traders. The traders brought with them goods like gunpowder and firearms, which were of interest to village chiefs, as Equiano explained:
When a trader wants slaves, he applies to a chief for them, and tempts him with his wares. It is not extraordinary, if on this occasion he yields to the temptation with as little firmness, and accepts the price of his fellow creatures’ liberty with as little reluctance as the enlightened merchant.
Equiano was keen to point out how enlightened slavery was where he came from:
…how different was their condition from that of the slaves in the West Indies! With us they do no more work than other members of the community, even their masters; their food, clothing and lodging were nearly the same as theirs…
That’s alright then. Equiano and his sister were kidnapped by slave traders one day while the adults were away labouring in the fields. He passed through several African households as a slave, being bought and sold, before finally reaching the coast and being sold into the Atlantic slave trade which was being enthusiastically supplied by countless West African chiefs and elders.
It’s not entirely clear whether Sir Lenny has factored in this sort of complication to the idea that all black people are perpetual victims of a slave trade exclusively run by white people.
Nor is it entirely clear exactly how a nation-bankrupting handout would be funded and distributed, or how it would eliminate racism and create a utopian future in which Britain’s diverse population would live in harmony thereafter, given that the country would be ruined by the payments.
One wonders at which point those nations occupying territory formerly organised as Roman provinces will set out their demands for compensation too. Among the Roman emperors who so nakedly exploited the provinces was Septimius Severus (193-211), routinely celebrated as the African emperor even though he came from Libya and was of Berber descent. Severus famously led a major and brutal campaign of conquest in northern Britain but died at York.
The Telegraph’s piece is worth reading in full.
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‘Sir’ Lenny Henny might want to consider renouncing his knighthood first. It’s a bit silly for him to claim to be a victim of having been knighted and thus, deserve trillions of £ in compensation from people who were born with the privilege of not being knights and who won’t ever become one.
And happy enough to accept the knighthood bestowed upon him by the very Empire which “enslaved all his ancestors”… Righto.
A man knighted for simply being black.
The least funny comedian of his generation.
Well, this little statement of his is actually hilarious.
At first I thought he was having a laugh but then realised he was being serious.
It’s quite telling for our times that comedians get knighted at all.
Yes, but what a couple they made, Unfunny Henry and his Unfunny wife Dawn French…
The Least Funny Comedians of their Generation.
That’s news!
He was a comedian?
Yes, it doesn’t surprise me that Theophilus P Wildebeest wants payout for racism.
At some point you have to accept that history is that: history. We should never forget or repeat what happened, but it does more harm than good to keep raking up ancient sins.
It would probably be an overall benefit to the world if there were a 70 year limit on righting past wrongs. Of course those activists trying to make a plea would deplore their careers being brought to an early end – but then that’s part of the benefit.
Not a 70-year limit.
A Zero-year Limit, and that includes the endless claims from Holocaust survivors who keep appearing out of the woodwork more than half a century later. Where are the historical claims from the Holodomor Survivors?
White slavery was more prevalent than Black.
Muslims enslaved millions of whites.
Roman and Greek empires were built on white slaves.
Viking raids were in large part to procure white slaves eg. Dublin.
50% of the US pop in 1700 were white slaves (‘indentured servants’).
Anglo-Saxons owned white slaves -1/3 of the pop.
Serfdom – a form of slavery – did not end in many parts of Europe until the mid 19th century.
Alexander II freed white Russian slaves in 1860.
And given that Blacks and Muslims were the great black slavers – do blacks now need to repay other blacks?
And what about the 5 million or so black slaves currently owned by Muslims in Africa?
And will the Muzzies atone for the 30-50 million subsaharan black slaves shipped north?
And will the Mongols pay reparations for their enslavement of whites over 300 years in Russia and EE?
etc etc
So where do we start then with the reparations?
Acknowledge and pay all reparations – and tax them at 110%.
‘Sir Lenny argues that “the reason we have racism today and also… why black British people are grossly over-represented in the prison population”. . .’ Not to mention the media, most especially television.
There was me thinking it was because they commit more crimes like muggings and stabbings etc.
More anti-whitism. The proposed “reparations for slavery” is in fact a proposed system of indentured servitude for whites – a system designed to last hundreds of years (i.e. to be permanent). And notice that only white-majority countries are targetted by this
extortion racketcampaign – not the Arabs, not the Turks, not the Persians. And not the Africans slavers themselves.The ignorance, belligerence and perpetual weaponisation of history never ceases to amaze me. I’m mixed Black/British… I guess I’m only entitled to 50% of the reparations?
And I was born in Eastern Europe, in a country that never had any colonies and was never in any way involved in the slave trade.
Do I still have to pay?
If you’re half black, I assume you’re also half white? So your white half should pay the black half and you come out even. In practice, of course, the payment would be filtered through the lanyard class, you’d be lucky to get 10% back!
One half of you can pay the other half! 🙂
But the bureaucrats will need to take their administration fee from the transaction.
So if my family members (white, by the way) were victims of Hitler’s Nazism, does that make me entitled to lots of money from German taxpayers?
No, thought not. Wrong skin colour, you see.
German reparation payments for the first world war finally ended around 2010. To avoid another such debacle, no fixed sum was ever named for German payments because of the second world war.
NB: It’s unlikely that you’re personally benefitting from the permantent German obligation To Pay The Bills™ as this money mainly goes into large-scale political projects of somewhat dubious nature like UN, EU, arms for Ukraine, arms for Israel etc.
But I want MY money!
You’re misunderstanding the mechanics of this. Some people really want enormous amounts of money from the British state and because they really want that, they’ve invented this nonsense story patterned on the nonsense story already used to cover large-scale misappropriation of property of the church of England. Lenny Henny Siry is just a figurehead they’ve approached for his celebrity status and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually even a paid figurehead. You’ll need to find yourself some cause the American democrats (as always) want to support you’d make a suitable figurehead for. Then, some amount of money-four-you could piggy-back on their their demand for trillions of dosh and be used as justification for both. As they’re already extracting whatever they can from Germany, that’s probably not a promising avenue. Career choices for insufficiently melanated professional victims are unfortunately a bit slim. A suggestion would be: Claim that – due to evil British heteronormativity – all your male ancestors were forced to live as men despite they were actually women and all your female ancestors as women despite they were actually men and to produce countless generations of children suffering the same cruel fate and because of this, at… Read more »
Do we get reparations for the slaves taken in raids on this country by black people?
As Clint Eastwood reportedly said… I didn’t own slaves and you didn’t pick cotton.
Perhaps this applies to the USA more than it does here, but blacks in the US have been major recipients of welfare payments – one of the biggest wealth transfers in history. It hasn’t done any good.
Hasn’t it? It’s brought more Socialism. 🙂
Have we considered yet, that although it was pretty barbaric for their slave ancestors, their Caribbean descendants have had better, longer lives than if they had stayed in Africa.
He’s a comedian alright. But never been less funny
You haven’t seen him perform, then.
FFS, this perma-victimhood is pathetic. Do these people not have any dignity? Imagine harbouring the ludicrous opinion that all white people are responsible for the bad behaviour of all black people because ‘slavery’.
Yet another person whose reputation has now gone down the toilet ( much like Lenny’s ex, Dawn French ) despite me growing up loving their TV programmes. It’s a shame they have to go ahead and self-sabotage like this, really. Why can’t they all just shut up about divisive stuff and concentrate on what they’re good at?🤨
And while we’re at it, can the descendants of women who were wrongfully accused of being witches and murdered as a result, also be in line for reparations, please and thank you?🤦♀️
And what about the generations of women denied the vote? Or those who lost a parent before the death penalty was abolished? The list is seemingly endless. All because there are people among us who want to apply today’s morals and standards to the events of yesteryear.
Exactly. Everybody could apply for ‘victimhood status’ on some grounds or other if we were so inclined. Main thing is that the majority of people don’t channel this absurd attitude because they’re realists who are capable of being accountable for their own actions. I think there’s plenty to concern ourselves with in these present times, rather than harp on like some tedious, broken record, over stuff that happened donkey’s years ago, which has zero relevance in today’s world. Some people really pathologise the whole grievance mentality thing, though, and consequently become obsessive.
While we are at it let’s look at their tax payments and whether they employ accountants to avoid as much tax possible like so many other celebs.
As a white and English person I would be happy with a mere £1m for my share of Isaac Newton’s contribution to technological development and resulting contribution to global well being.
Actually, why not make that £100m as white British people invented almost everything.
I estimate that the benefit to Africans of Faraday’s work is about 500 trillion pounds. And that’s only the beginning.
That’s right – gravity begins at home!
I’m half black and I grew up poor not because of racism but because my black dad was absent, lazy, in and out of jail and just not a good provider. However this loser behaviour was in spite of distant family wealth—my great grandfather was wealthy. Maybe my fellow extra melanated folks should look in the mirror for the cause of their issues, not towards the nearest white person.
Doesn’t Tort apply – restoring an injured party to the same condition prior to the injury?
So Lenny in order to do that, as proxy for your injured relatives, you will be transported by ship to and deposited on the West Coast of Africa, naked and in chains.
Thus will you be restored to your original condition according to Tort.
There, go to the head of the supply chain – he can claim reparations from the African tribes which captured his ancestors and sold them as slaves to European and Arab slave traders.
How nice……I’m sure my family was shocked by the slave trade, so shocked I need £ 35 trillion in compo….where do I sign up for it.
Oh fuck off
Now, now! Punctuation, please. We must observe the proprieties.
I’ll add the comma here; ,.
so the sum total of this idiots life is that as a professional black man, white people have to pay for his existence because he took some courses at the “woken university” and they convinced him he was a victim.
that is pathetic beyond belief!
he isn’t fit to lick Thomas Sowell’s boots!
Race grifting chump!
He makes a great case for the statistical realities of “The Bell Curve”.
There are many million present day slaves in the world but who’s interested in them?
First he must personally pay reparations to all Indigenous Brits for his criminal ancestors entering the country as part of the ILLEGAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING OPERATION starting with the Windrush, and continuing to this day with the dinghy mob, who also must pay reparations. Some comments from the public: — “He being loyal to his group. The pretence is over. It is high time the indigenous population did likewise.” — “Imagine becoming a sir, a multimillionaire and a national treasure but actually detest the country that gave you everything? I absolutely despise this bloke.” — “I will contribute to repatriate all black people from Britain back to Africa.” — “Get lost! Every black person! Don’t be ridiculous.. you’ve made your money off this country! Cheek.” — “If this happens I will self-identify as Black. And so will every white person in the country.” — “Where is the money tree cut-off point for future British black generations?” — “The White man offered opportunity for blacks to finally experience there’s more to life than throwing spears and sticking plates in their lips.” — “Never was so little owed by the Uninvolved to so many of the Historically Offended.” — “Lenny Henry, you can… Read more »
— “If we’re such a horrible people, why is everyone fighting to get here? They hated us ruling over them, we gave them independence, and the first thing they do is follow us over here!”
‘My ancestors’ migrated from Africa tens of millions of years ago. So can I claim reparations for being faintly black?
I didn’t think so.
No, because they didn’t. The whole “Out of Africa” evolution concept is a LIE.
God created the distinct races of the world, including Ethnic Europeans.
Ethnic Europeans = White People ARE NOT DESCENDED FROM AFRICANS.
Once all the froth dies down, there is something to be addressed. When slavery was abolished in the British Empire (carried through because it was more lucrative to employ workers than to own them – bearing the cost of their welfare), compensation was paid out to slave owners. The money for those compensation payments was borrowed (Government debt) and payments to the descendants of slave owners only finished a decade ago. So the offspring of those who enriched themselves from the slave trade continued to benefit from their ancestors’ crime (for such it was). Of course, those who owned slaves and plantations were drawn from a very narrow section of society. I think most of us of British heritage (and those who have come here since) had no connection with the slave trade – other than encouraged to become addicted to sugar. Our forebears saw none of the profits and paid for the compensation. As the article shows, the transfer of slaves to the New World was part of a trade. Slaves were kidnapped and sold in exchange for goods by elders, chieftains and local royalty in Africa. (It is their descendants whom I have found to be the most… Read more »
Yes, Lenny Henry should ask the Tory member of the Nigerian Royal Adegoke Caste of Slave Owners how many slaves her Yoruba ancestors owned and sent into the Transatlantic Slave Trade…
“Slavery had traditionally existed among the Yoruba people before it was OFFICIALLY ABOLISHED BY THE BRITISH in 1893, during colonialism. Owning slaves was a status symbol in Yoruba society. A Yoruba person who owned slaves displayed signs of being a wealthy and influential person.”
” Slaves were typically captured during territorial expansion and internal and intertribal wars. If a town captured another in a war, the captured people would become enslaved by their captors. Slaves typically worked for powerful elites of Yoruba society.”
Falola, Toyin; Akínyẹmí, Akíntúndé (2016). Encyclopedia of the Yoruba. Bloomington. ISBN 978-0253021441.
“The surname Adegoke is of Yoruba origin and is commonly found among the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is a compound name, combining the elements “ade” meaning “crown” or “royalty” and “goke” meaning “to ascend” or “to climb.” Therefore, the surname Adegoke can be interpreted to mean “the crown ascends” or “one who climbs to royalty.” It is often associated with individuals who have a noble or regal lineage within the Yoruba culture.”
“payments to the descendants of slave owners only finished a decade ago. So the offspring of those who enriched themselves from the slave trade continued to benefit”. This is faulty logic.
So the offspring of those who enriched themselves from the slave trade continued to benefit from their ancestors’ crime (for such it was).
It wasn’t. Slavery was legal and common all over the world until British people came up with the weird idea to abolish it for so-called humanitarian reasons and put this plan into action. That we consider it a crime nowadays doesn’t retroactively turn it into a crime
in the past.
It could be argued that the anti-slavey movement was both racist and culturally insensitive, gven that it undermined the income and customs
of West African “elders” and chieftains.
I wondered at the beginning of Covid Clown World how many deaths/chronic illnesses/ruined lives “celebrities” such as he (and it’s a long list) would cause due to their unthinking ignorance.
Many more than “covid” itself caused.that’s for sure.
Never forget, never forgive.
We ought to have a list of shame.
Lenny the new messiah (2025 bbc)
Strange that the reparations mob use white man’s language, writing, education, culture, legal frameworks, technology, weapons, etc., etc.
Maybe we can be compensated for their use of white man’s intellectual property. Thus they owe us an arbitrary large sum of money first.
Most UK citizens were not able to vote before 1918, having fought for a government they had no say in electing. At the time of slavery even fewer citizens had the vote. They cannot be held accountable and made to pay for government policy their ancestors had no control over. Henry also ignores the debt created to buy the slaves out of slavery was only paid off very recently so everyone in the UK irrespective of their ancestors involvement has already paid through their taxes.