AMSTERDAM (AP) — The mayor of Amsterdam has apologized for the extensive involvement of the Dutch capital’s former rulers in the global slave trade. She said Thursday that the moment had come to confront the grim history. Debate about the role of Amsterdam’s rulers in the slave trade has been going on for years but it has gained more attention amid the global reckoning with racial injustice that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Dutch government has in the past expressed deep regret for the nation’s historic role in slavery, but has not apologized. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last year that such an apology could polarize society.
