Extracts from Lords debate on Amritsar Massacre: Centenary - Feb 19
Wednesday, 20 February 2019 08:40
Lord Suri (Con):...There are those who say that the past is a
foreign country which ought to be left and disturbed as little as
possible. There are those, including the previous Administration,
who have refused to offer up a full apology, although good steps
have been taken, most notably by the Queen and the previous Prime
Minister, to address the immense hurt and suffering caused at that
time. But more needs to be done. It is the mark of a solemn and
grown-up country to apologise for past...Request free trial
(Con):...There are
those who say that the past is a foreign country which ought to be
left and disturbed as little as possible. There are those,
including the previous Administration, who have refused to offer up
a full apology, although good steps have been taken, most notably
by the Queen and the previous Prime Minister, to address the
immense hurt and suffering caused at that time. But more needs to
be done. It is the mark of a solemn and grown-up country to
apologise for past crimes. Justin Trudeau was content to apologise
for the shameful record of his country in turning
away Jewish refugees in 1939. was content to apologise in
2007 for the UK’s record of slavery. I ask the Minister directly:
what good reason is there, in this auspicious centenary year, to
withhold a full and frank apology for the massacre?
(Lab):...Britain in 1919 was a hard, nationalist
country; very prominent were the die-hards, the so-called
“hard-faced men” of whom Keynes wrote. This was seen in Ireland, in
relation to immigrants, and in the anti-Semitism which imposed
itself on the Secretary of State for India,
the Jewish Edwin Montagu. As it happens,
the policy towards the empire and towards India was not so hostile
during this period; on the contrary, with the Montagu-Chelmsford
report the Government began a process of greater devolution and of
bringing the Indians into government. But Amritsar, the pile of
corpses in the bagh, changed all that...
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