President Irfan Ali (and his entourage) along with the crop of third world leaders who attended the coronationof Charles III should be ashamed of giving credence to the Monarchy responsible for causing the loss of tens of millions of lives. Apart from the slave trade, millions more were killed through massacres andfamine as Britain sought expansion of its empire. Concentration camps were set up by the British in Africa during the Anglo-Boer wars 1880-1902 – two white powers fighting for black owned, diamond laden, land-resulting in some 20,000 African and 30,000 Boer deaths. The Boers are descendants of the early Dutch settlers. After the defeat of the Dutch the British instituted a travel policy whereby a pass was needed to travel, and setting the stage for Apartheid and the rise to fame of one man who decided such passes must be burnt-Gandhi.
Five million deaths in Africa (1876 -8) resulted from harsh stipulations by British policies where a certainamount of food produced had to be exported –a condition that precipitated massive famine while medical experimentation on the tribes, like injecting them with smallpox to observe how the human body will react –and deteriorate- claimed 200,000 lives. Just next door to the seat of the Empire, The Great Famine of Ireland (1845–1849) was a watershedcausing the death (1 million) and migration of half the population through British food distribution policies.
India stands out as the most horrifying casualty of the British Monarchy. Famines were wide spread and death tolls excessively high as a consequence of British mandated policies where quotas of food had to be exported to Britain at the expense of local necessity.The Great Bengal famine 1769-1770 stands as one of the single most horrific atrocities to have occurred under British colonial rule. Over 10 million Indians died of starvation, malnutrition, childbirth related complications and diseases. Worse was yet to come as the Chalisa famine 1782–1784 in North India saw another 11 million lives destroyed while the Doji bara famine of 1791–1792, claimed further 11 million lives.The Great Famine of 1876–1878, also known as the Southern India famine of 1876–1878 or the Madras famine of 1877claimed 5.5 million souls. Upper Doab famine of 1860–1861 took 2 million lives while from 1943 to 1944, more than 3 million Indians died of starvation and malnutrition in Bengal.
Now for Anglo-Saxon thievery: The Star of Africa, the530 carat Cullinan diamond found in 1905 and delivered in1907 to the monarchy, was cut into several pieces, one of which is set in the Royal Scepter that King Charles displayed at the coronation. The largest cut called Cullinan 1 is mounted on the sovereign scepter and was first used at the coronation of Charles’s great grandfather King George V in 1911. Cullinan II at 317 carats is mounted on the front of the Imperial State Crown while several stones cut from this diamond were worn by Camilla while other gems cut from the largest, colorless diamond ever found are mounted on the sovereign’s scepter.
The 186 carat Koh-i-Noor (which means mountain of light in Persian) diamond which came from India changed hands several times and was finally passed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh emperor of Punjab around 1810. When he died in 1839 it passed on to his 5 year old son who was ‘signed’ it into British possession in 1846 to Queen Victoria after the British East India Company invaded. The Monarchy still maintains the contract was legally signed by 7 year old Duleep Singh. The diamond has been worn by Queens Alexandra, Mary and Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). It was last seen public at her funeral in 2002. The Royal carriage/gold stage coach is made up of gold mainly from South Africa and Indian gem stones and is valued at US$4.2
A century ago one in four persons on earth was under control of the Monarchy, resulting in many bloody battles for Independence and causing even more loss of lives and property. Guyana is ample testimony of British connivance. This is the Empire that was celebrated on May 06, 2023!
