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Following criticism of colonial ties, the Dutch royal family temporarily stopped using the Golden Coach.

January 16, 2022
Henry Club

written by Sana Noor Haq, CNNMick Craver, CNN

King Willem-Alexander said dutch royal family Will temporarily stop using Golden Coach until “the Netherlands is ready” after criticism of colonial relations Horse drawn cart.

“Our history has a lot to be proud of. At the same time, it provides learning material to recognize faults and avoid them in the future,” King Willem-Alexander, ruler of the Netherlands, said in a video message published. on the royal family’s verified YouTube account on Thursday.

“We cannot rewrite the past. We can try to come together with it. This applies to the colonial past as well. Instead, a collective effort is needed that goes deeper and lasts longer. An effort that unites rather than divides us.”

The carriage – known colloquially as “de Gauden Coates” – has been at the center of fierce debate in recent years.

One of the panels of the Golden Coach, titled “Tributes from the Colonies”, depicts people of color in the Colonies kneeling in submission to a young white woman who represents Netherlands, while presenting him with gifts, according to Amsterdam MuseumWhere the coach is kept.
The Dutch Empire spanned 250 years from the 17th century to the 19th century, according to Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The empire operated in regions including the Caribbean, Brazil, Suriname, southern Africa, and Asia, where people were also enslaved and exploited by imperialists.
in the 1990s, curaconi Artist Rubén La Cruz demonstrates against colonial vignettes at a festival Rotterdam, Since then several public figures, including an activist and two members of the organization Dutch Parliament, has given a call not to use the car anymore.
However, these demands intensified after the global black lives matter protests in 2020, when many countries were faced with their Racial and Colonial History,
was given the golden coach queen wilhelmina, the first female monarch of the Netherlands in 1898. He celebrated his 18th birthday that year, and his coronation took place soon after.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands attends celebrations to mark his 49th birthday on King's Day on April 27, 2016 in Zwolle, Netherlands.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands attends celebrations to mark his 49th birthday on King’s Day on April 27, 2016 in Zwolle, Netherlands. Credit: Michele Porro / Getty Images Europe / Getty Images

It is now mainly used on Prince’s Day, which is when King Willem-Alexander opens the Dutch parliament on the third Tuesday in September, and gives a speech outlining the government’s agenda for the coming year. Dutch Government website,
Carriage is also associated with other prestigious events including royal weddings And Inauguration,

King Willem-Alexander said, “Golden Coach will be able to run again when the Netherlands is ready. And that is no longer the case.”

“All citizens of this country should be able to feel that they are equal and have equal opportunities. Everyone should be able to feel a part of what our country has created, and be proud of that as well as Dutch citizens with ancestry who were not free in the East or West.”

“As long as there are people living in the Netherlands who feel the pain of discrimination every day, the pain of the past will cast its shadow on our times and it is not over yet.

“Listening and understanding each other are the prerequisites for achieving harmony and removing the pain in the souls of people.”

Addressing the Dutch public, he said that the Golden Coach could be run again on Prince’s Day “only if we take this road to reconciliation together,” describing it as a day when “We celebrate our democracy and our solidarity as the Dutch people.”

He did not specify a date when the car could be used again.

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