Slave trade was "profoundly shameful" - PM
27 November 2006
The commemoration for the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade is a chance to express "deep sorrow" that the trade ever existed, Tony Blair has said.
In an article for the New Nation newspaper, the PM says it is "hard to believe" that what would now be a crime against humanity was legal at the time.
Mr Blair writes:
"Personally I believe the bicentenary offers us a chance not just to say how profoundly shameful the slave trade was - how we condemn its existence utterly and praise those who fought for its abolition, but also to express our deep sorrow that it ever happened, that it ever could have happened and to rejoice at the different and better times we live in today."
He adds that the bicentenary, which takes place in 2007, should act as a "spur" for everyone to redouble efforts to stop human trafficking and all forms of modern slavery.
