"The Queen lost one of her lands" Learn the story of Barbados' exit from the British throne

Officially installed Barbados as its president, declaring its complete independence from the British crown as the newest republic in the world, which represents an example for republican movements in the territory of Queen Elizabeth II, suggesting that a number of them follow the same path of the Caribbean island.

Barbados declared itself the world's newest republic at dawn on Tuesday, officially departing from the authority of the British Crown, fulfilling what its former Governor-General Sandra Mason had promised in September 2020, saying: "It is time to get rid of the colonial past completely!"

Mason, who was elected last October as the first female president of the independent Republic of Barbados, witnessed its capital, Bridgetown, on Monday night, the first-ever presidential inauguration. , according to the law. May God help me."

The inauguration, during which the British crown flag, which represented four centuries of the subjugation of Barbados to the authority of Queen Elizabeth II, was lowered was attended by the British Crown Prince Charles. And he gave a speech in which he said that "the birth of this republic gives its people a new beginning, but it is also a continuation of what was built along the path of this people."

This historic moment coincides with the nascent republic and the anniversary of its independence from British colonialism in 1966, and its enjoyment of self-rule under the nominal sovereignty of Queen Elizabeth II. This concludes the 13-month transitional path from the monarchy to full republican sovereignty.

Barbados independence story

Barbados is one of the Lesser Antilles, with a population of about 287,000. The year 2018 witnessed parliamentary elections, during which the Republican Labor Party swept the seats of the legislative establishment. The government was led by the first female Prime Minister, Mia Motley, who, since taking office, has been determined to transition the country to a republic.

And in September 2020, during a speech marking the opening of Parliament, Molte declared in a speech read by then-Governor-General Sandra Mason that “it is time to get rid of the colonial past completely!”, and that “the Barbadian people now want to have their own head of state.” .

A decision that Buckingham Palace did not object to, but was expected, according to the BBC correspondent at the time. Thus, the royal family spokesman replied that the matter was an "internal affair of the Barbadian people." In a statement, the British Foreign Office said, "Britain and Barbados are two countries united in a common history, in culture and language, and more than that, we have strong partnerships through which we will continue to work with all our respected partners in the Caribbean."

Observers believe that the acceleration of this transition process was stimulated by the rise of anti-racist movements within the countries of the world with a history of suffering slavery and colonialism. He cited an article previously published on the British Times newspaper that "it is clear that the movement (black life counts) anti-racism, and the escalation of speech issues for Britain 's role in the slave trade the Caribbean, is a climate of Caribbean British relations."

The article added, "Although a large proportion of the population of these islands are descended from enslaved origins in the past, the previous generation maintained the strength of its traditional relations with the British Crown, unlike the current generation affected by the struggle of blacks in America, and sees only the involvement of that crown in the tragedies of its ancestors. ". This involvement, which Prince Charles admitted during his inaugural address , said: "From the dark days of our past, and from the ravages of slavery that stain our history forever, the people of this island have charted their own course with remarkable resilience."

The "Black Lives Matter" movement exerted great pressure on the Barbadian Parliament, prompting it to enact a law bearing its name. This law recognizes, in four articles, “confirmation of Barbados’ efforts to plead and defend the black peoples in the face of anti-racism, and support for the principles of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, and to reject the slogan “Every life matters” until the consideration of black lives and their suffering is restored, and it also affirms its readiness to engage in all international efforts aimed at curbing racism against blacks.

Falling Queen's Lands

The British Crown is experiencing the growth of a number of republican movements within the territory of its sovereignty. At the head of it is Australia, which adopts its second political force, the Labor Party, the tendency to separate from the British monarchy. Australian Republicans greeted Barbados' independence, with Labor MP Matt Thistleth tweeting: "Australia can be next. We are a proud nation and we should be able to articulate that with our own Head of State."

On the other hand, Scotland is still determined to hold a second independence referendum before the end of 2023, despite London's rejection of the decision. In a remote meeting with members of her party (Scottish National Party), Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that "the beginning of next year she will start preparing for an independence referendum that we will hold before the end of 2023."

While the European-British conflicts over Northern Ireland still threaten not only the separation of those lands from the British Crown, but also their return to the quagmire of bloody violence that marked its history to the borders of the nineties of the last century, according to observers . And last April, Northern Ireland was mired in clashes as a result of a post-Brexit dispute over the movement of goods at the border between the European Union and the United Kingdom.