Is Dorset MP Richard Drax about to add to his vast fortune with millions of pounds from sale of land on a former slave plantation? A storm of protest in Barbados has forced the Barbadian government to put on hold plans to buy part of his Drax Hall estate – a deal which would have brought Richard Drax over £3 million.
Stand Up To Racism Dorset joins campaigners in the Caribbean who demand that ownership of the entire estate should be transferred to the people of Barbados as part of reparations for the injustice and exploitation of slavery.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has acknowledged strong feelings about the proposed purchase of 50 acres at Drax Hall. She says: “I believe that it is appropriate for us to pause the acquisition.
“I understand the concerns of many Barbadians who may feel that they have been robbed of the opportunity of having an appropriate settlement for the reparations that ought to be made as a result of the blood, sweat, and tears of Barbadians over centuries.”
The 620-acre Drax Hall estate was established in the 1650s as a pioneer sugar plantation and is still held by Richard Drax MP, said to be the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons. Drax Hall was among the first to exploit slaves brought from Africa and compelled to work on estates across the Caribbean.
Barbadian campaigner David Denny, who last year toured British cities to call for reparations for slavery, says: “Drax Hall really was the belly of slavery in Barbados. Everything evolves from the Drax Hall plantation.
“This property must be given to the people of Barbados by Richard Drax as part of our reparations call.”
Don’t pay a cent
Barbadian MP Trevor Prescod says: “Don’t pay Drax a cent.” People across the world have highlighted Drax Hall as a scene of slavery crimes, says Prescod, who proposes that the state should receive the land from Drax as part of reparations and that it should be used for housing and for a museum to mark the history of slavery.
Lynne Hubbard is joint chair of Stand Up To Racism Dorset. She says: “Drax Hall made vast millions for the Drax family, providing the profits with which the dynasty built its huge Dorset estate and the Charborough House mansion near Bere Regis.
“That’s where we demonstrated in 2021, together with hundreds of Dorset people, to call on Richard Drax to pass the whole Drax Hall estate to the people of Barbados. We repeat that call, and we are ready to march in Dorset again. No more money from the slave plantation; it’s time for reparations and justice.
“The Barbados prime minister has called on Drax to consult about reparations for slavery.
We agree and suggest that he also consult with his constituents here in Dorset. We are ready to talk.”
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