Sheinbaum attacks Spain again on Columbus Day for its colonial past in America

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, once again urged Spain to apologize for the colonial past in America coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Day which is celebrated this October 12 and emphasized that asking for forgiveness “It’s not shameful, it magnifies and brings people together.

“October 12 is not the day of race or Hispanicity (…). Apologizing for the crimes committed is not shameful; on the contrary, it magnifies and brings people together,” stressed Sheinbaum in his publication in

Sheinbaum emphasized that “Christopher Columbus discovered America for Europeans, but on our continent and particularly in what we today call Mexico, there already existed great civilizations and cultures of which we are proud and proud. ” “The arrival of the Spanish more than five centuries ago represented the subjugation and even elimination of indigenous peoples. “, he stressed.

The video accompanying Sheimbaum’s message highlights that “Apologizing for crimes against humanity is a historic responsibilitya way of seeking reconciliation and overcoming past grievances.” “Thus, the right to truth and dignity of peoples and social groups is recognized”, underlines the video.

Specifically, discusses Japan’s public apology “for abuses committed in Korea and China”the pardon that the German president requested in 2000 before the Israeli Parliament “for Nazi crimes in the Jewish Holocaust” or Italy’s apology to Libya in 2008.

It also indicates that in 2010 The United States “apologized for deliberately infecting hundreds of Guatemalans with venereal diseases.”» or that in 2013 the Netherlands “apologized for summary executions in Indonesia in the 1940s”.

“In 2018, France recognized its responsibility for crimes committed during the Algerian war of independence and, three years later, to Rwanda. In 2020, King Philippe of Belgium acknowledged his deep regret over the violence and cruelty perpetrated in Congo. The same year, King Charles III of the United Kingdom apologized for the murder of 11,000 people during the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya and this year, Portugal accepted responsibility for slavery during the colonial era “, he continues.

The video further mentions that “The Vatican repudiated its colonial approach and abuse of girls and boys in Catholic schools from Canada, Argentina, Australia, the United States, Chile, Norway and New Zealand.

He also emphasizes that Mexico apologized to the Mayan people, the Yaki people and the Chinese community “for acts of violence and discrimination” and recalls the apology for the massacre in Tlatelolco Square in 1968. “These examples confirm that apologizing for past grievances allows us to resolve historical wounds and both liberates those who offer forgiveness and those who forgive them.” grants,” the recording states.