‘Deeply regret’ Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Theresa May tells British Parliament

[MenInG]

Labour calls for ‘full apology’; 80 MPs writer a letter to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday expressed “regret” in Parliament for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the killings on April 13.

Opening the Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday with a reference to the massacre, Ms. May quoted Queen Elizabeth’s remarks, calling the incident a “distressing example” of Britain’s past history with India. “We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused,” Ms. May said.

This came came after MPs from across the political parties called for the formal apology during a debate on Tuesday afternoon.

Foreign Office Minister Mark Field had told MPs on Tuesday that he recognised that there was a “strong and compelling case” for Britain to go beyond the “deep regret” already expressed.

The Labour Party on Wednesday called for a “full, clear and unequivocal apology”, from the British government for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, after the Prime Minister described the events as a “shameful scar on British Indian history”, but failed to make the formal apology that many hope for.

On Wednesday, 80 MPs wrote to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt calling for an apology, pointing to the “lasting pain both in India and among U.K. citizens with family roots in India.”

’India will never forget’
MPs had suggested that an apology was owed to the victims and their families as part of efforts to strengthen relations with India. “India will never forget,” Conservative MP Bob Blackman, who introduced the debate on Tuesday told MPs.

Others argued that there was a need for the U.K. to raise awareness of the atrocity and the darker aspects of Britain’s colonial legacy in schools, which would help children understand where they came from and where the country was today.

“By othering or writing people out of history, can we really be surprised that hate crime continues to exist or racism continues to fester?” asked Preet Kaur Gill, the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. Over 80 MPs from across political parties signed a letter, initiated by Labour MP Pat McFadden, on Wednesday calling for an “official apology.”

Perils of doing nothing
“Some might ask, why just this atrocity? Yet it is never a good argument to say that because you cannot do everything, you should do nothing,” they wrote.

“Relations between the U.K. and India today are friendly and constructive. Yet, that does not mean that an apology would not do good... we cannot turn back or erase the past, but we can take steps to recognise what happened and to respond in a way that befits a modern relationship between two countries which today enjoy normal and positive diplomatic relations.”

https://www.thehindu.com/news/inter...-tells-british-parliament/article26795407.ece

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Massacre like this make me question nature of humanity.

Do we have the potential to surpass needless violence?

India won't ever forget!

 

[Markhor]

On that day there were two armoured cars equipped with machine guns but couldn't pass through the narrow entrance to the park.

General Dyer at the inquiry was asked whether he would've used them too on the crowd if he had the chance.

To peoples' surprise, he bluntly replied that he would have.

The Butcher of Amritsar was unrepetant even to the end.

 

[LongHorn]

Don't forget that while the orders came from Dyer, the ones doing the actual shooting, and claiming later that "it felt good" were other Brown people including Nepalese

 

[Slog]

Don't forget that while the orders came from Dyer, the ones doing the actual shooting, and claiming later that "it felt good" were other Brown people including Nepalese

I always wonder how come local Indians were always so happy to lay their lives for the British occupiers for a few bucks...

Was it the same in South America in relation to the Spanish colonisers?

 

[troodon]

I always wonder how come local Indians were always so happy to lay their lives for the British occupiers for a few bucks...

Was it the same in South America in relation to the Spanish colonisers?

Indians have been happily fighting for the invaders when Mughals invaded India too. The actual British and Mughal army was only a few thousand strong. Majority of their army were Indians.

 

[troodon]

Hopefully Mongolia also apologizes to Indians for the massacres committed by Timoor. May be Uzbekistan and Turkemenistan apologize for the atrocities committed by Mughals on Indians too. The apologies will be endless.

 

[Hitman]

We can't change the past, but we can can learn lessons from the past. We can't change what happened, but can make an effort to make a better future for our future generations.

 

[Pakistanian]

Good. Hope modi can apologize for genociding kashmiris.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Others argued that there was a need for the U.K. to raise awareness of the atrocity and the darker aspects of Britain’s colonial legacy in schools, which would help children understand where they came from and where the country was today.

This is more important than what the government has said. In school you are only taught of world wars where the UK is shown to be a just power fighting against evil. Or false history such as Columbus discovered America etc.

 

[Pete Rose]

Better late than never.
Now apologize for that human ham sandwich Churchill because of the Bengal famine.

 

[IMMY69]

Look at the Indian Posters here on this thread as opposed to the ones on F16/Kashmir threads.

 

[Madplayer]

Massacre like this make me question nature of humanity.

Do we have the potential to surpass needless violence?

India won't ever forget!

But Indians have become what their previous oppressors were like.

Gawkadal Massacre:
At least 50 people were killed (according to survivors, the actual death toll may have been as high as 280)

Bijbehara Massacre :
The BSF was accused of arbitrarily firing on a crowd and killing 51 civilians in Bijbehara after protests erupted over the siege of the mosque in Hazratbal

Kunan poshpora Mass rapes:
Women of an entire village were raped from age 12 to 70 after men were taken away to army camps.

Handwara Massacre (21 people) , Sopore Massacre (54 people), khanyar massacre (18) , chotabazar massacre (32) etc etc etc

List of massacres in Kashmir

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir

https://lostkashmirihistory.com/category/massacres/

India shouldnt be expected to forget 1 Jalianwala bagh. And Kashmiris shouldnt be asked to forget countless such incidents.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Jallianwala bagh was an exception and was not a policy by the British. That was a rogue british officer who shamed the otherwise honorable british.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

Hopefully Mongolia also apologizes to Indians for the massacres committed by Timoor. May be Uzbekistan and Turkemenistan apologize for the atrocities committed by Mughals on Indians too. The apologies will be endless.

Yes agree & in addition to this Indian govt should also apologize on behalf of rajay mahrajay as they were not far behind from Mughals or other Muslim emperors for being brutal on their own peoples.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Indians have been happily fighting for the invaders when Mughals invaded India too. The actual British and Mughal army was only a few thousand strong. Majority of their army were Indians.

Maybe that tells us something about the Indians at that time. Let's not overlook that it was the Mughals and then the British who tried to outlaw barbaric practices like widow burning which were entrenched in the religious mindset of the country. Obviously there were many Indians who felt that they were going to suffer a better fate under foreign administration than their own.

You can see echoes of the divisive and cruel nature in Indian society today never mind two centuries ago.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

But Indians have become what their previous oppressors were like.

Gawkadal Massacre:
At least 50 people were killed (according to survivors, the actual death toll may have been as high as 280)

Bijbehara Massacre :
The BSF was accused of arbitrarily firing on a crowd and killing 51 civilians in Bijbehara after protests erupted over the siege of the mosque in Hazratbal

Kunan poshpora Mass rapes:
Women of an entire village were raped from age 12 to 70 after men were taken away to army camps.

Handwara Massacre (21 people) , Sopore Massacre (54 people), khanyar massacre (18) , chotabazar massacre (32) etc etc etc

List of massacres in Kashmir

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir

https://lostkashmirihistory.com/category/massacres/

India shouldnt be expected to forget 1 Jalianwala bagh. And Kashmiris shouldnt be asked to forget countless such incidents.

Bhai actually it's the human nature that greed is always remain superior on morality & that is why the world is/was/will stay blind on genocide of innocents anywhere. The best way is to fight for right. Be cruel yourself for your rights. Behead the coward shameless cheap army. Do the palwama thing every next day until you get the freedom from these dogs. This how you can save your women from swines. This is how you can save your children from wolves.

 

[troodon]

Maybe that tells us something about the Indians at that time. Let's not overlook that it was the Mughals and then the British who tried to outlaw barbaric practices like widow burning which were entrenched in the religious mindset of the country. Obviously there were many Indians who felt that they were going to suffer a better fate under foreign administration than their own.

You can see echoes of the divisive and cruel nature in Indian society today never mind two centuries ago.

What? So just because of widow burning, Indians were fighting for invaders?

Mughals and British used the same tactics. Support one king against another and eventually conquer both. Their armies become Mughals armies especially if they convert to Islam. With British, they had superior weapons to the local kings. They were no match to the guns and tanks of British.

The only reason invaders were able to rule India because the locals were fighting for invaders for the greed of money. They had no concept of protecting native land.

 

[troodon]

But Indians have become what their previous oppressors were like.

Gawkadal Massacre:
At least 50 people were killed (according to survivors, the actual death toll may have been as high as 280)

Bijbehara Massacre :
The BSF was accused of arbitrarily firing on a crowd and killing 51 civilians in Bijbehara after protests erupted over the siege of the mosque in Hazratbal

Kunan poshpora Mass rapes:
Women of an entire village were raped from age 12 to 70 after men were taken away to army camps.

Handwara Massacre (21 people) , Sopore Massacre (54 people), khanyar massacre (18) , chotabazar massacre (32) etc etc etc

List of massacres in Kashmir

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir

https://lostkashmirihistory.com/category/massacres/

India shouldnt be expected to forget 1 Jalianwala bagh. And Kashmiris shouldnt be asked to forget countless such incidents.

Wikipedia links and some unknown website links? Any credible news source for those?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

What? So just because of widow burning, Indians were fighting for invaders?

Mughals and British used the same tactics. Support one king against another and eventually conquer both. Their armies become Mughals armies especially if they convert to Islam. With British, they had superior weapons to the local kings. They were no match to the guns and tanks of British.

The only reason invaders were able to rule India because the locals were fighting for invaders for the greed of money. They had no concept of protecting native land.

Widow burning was just one example. Others might include those who were unhappy with their social status in India where caste was pre-determined, poor education and infrastructure which the Mughals and British immediately set about improving.

You say yourself the locals had no concept of protecting native land, that is because it wasn't worth protecting clearly.

 

[troodon]

Widow burning was just one example. Others might include those who were unhappy with their social status in India where caste was pre-determined, poor education and infrastructure which the Mughals and British immediately set about improving.

You say yourself the locals had no concept of protecting native land, that is because it wasn't worth protecting clearly.

It was the conquered kings and his army that have become part of the invaders and supported them.

So wait. YOu mean to say that before Mughals and British arrived, Indians were suffering because of caste system, education and poor infra? In those days, the entire Asia was like that including Middle East. Either way, that does not give the license for the invaders to invade our land.

Worst part is, those invaders never integrated with the local customs. Instead, they continued to follow their own religion and customs and culture and enforced it on the locals too. Hence you see so many Muslims in the subcontinent.

Just look at Pakistan for example. Why are there still Dalits in Pakistan? Why have so many well to do communities like Rajputs, Jats, Gujjars, Brahmins and other upper castes converted to Islam?

Finally the local army did not protect the mother land because once they lost the battle, it would be financially beneficial for them and their families if they side with the invader. At least they will be spared with their lives and their kids can live on what ever the invader throws at them.

Ordinary men of the defeated kingdom simply follow what the king does. There is a concept in India. Yatha Raja, Tatha Praja. It means What the king does, so do the people.

 

[Madplayer]

Wikipedia links and some unknown website links? Any credible news source for those?

These massacres are well known and documented. Every Kashmiri remembers them also. For instance, My father's old uncle was killed in the Khanyar massacre. It was a personal tragedy.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Widow burning was just one example. Others might include those who were unhappy with their social status in India where caste was pre-determined, poor education and infrastructure which the Mughals and British immediately set about improving.

You say yourself the locals had no concept of protecting native land, that is because it wasn't worth protecting clearly.

What was mughals contribution in eradicating caste and improving education?

 

[troodon]

These massacres are well known and documented. Every Kashmiri remembers them also. For instance, My father's old uncle was killed in the Khanyar massacre. It was a personal tragedy.

Any credible news site have reported this?

 

[troodon]

What was mughals contribution in eradicating caste and improving education?

Mughals did well in building meaningless monuments and spread of Islam. They also enjoyed their life by having hundreds of concubines in every city.

Not a single project was undertaken by them which shows that they improved infrastructure of those times. But hey, they did appreciate Persian and Arabic Poetry.

At least British did something about the roads and railways. They also built Bridges in towns and cities.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

What was mughals contribution in eradicating caste and improving education?

Invitation to Islam would free the subject from caste on a personal level, although of course if it is deeply ingrained in society then it would be a longer process to get whole of India to accept.

Akbar's contribution to introduce an organised education system is well documented here:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/The-Mughal-period

The credit for organizing education on a systematic basis goes to Akbar (1542–1605), a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I of England and undoubtedly the greatest of Mughal emperors. He treated all his subjects alike and opened a large number of schools and colleges for Muslims as well as for Hindus throughout his empire. He also introduced a few curricular changes, based on students’ individual needs and the practical necessities of life. The scope of the curriculum was so widened as to enable every student to receive education according to his religion and views of life. The adoption of Persian as the court language gave further encouragement to the Hindus and the Muslims to study Persian.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Mughals did well in building meaningless monuments and spread of Islam. They also enjoyed their life by having hundreds of concubines in every city.

Not a single project was undertaken by them which shows that they improved infrastructure of those times. But hey, they did appreciate Persian and Arabic Poetry.

At least British did something about the roads and railways. They also built Bridges in towns and cities.

This is just mean spirited carping, they introduced waterways, gardens and architecture. They didn't build roads and railways because those came with the industrial age introduced by Britain. Try watching Game of Thrones, you will see that even the British used to ride about on horses in middle ages, they hadn't got round to bullet trains or tube travel back then.

 

[troodon]

This is just mean spirited carping, they introduced waterways, gardens and architecture. They didn't build roads and railways because those came with the industrial age introduced by Britain. Try watching Game of Thrones, you will see that even the British used to ride about on horses in middle ages, they hadn't got round to bullet trains or tube travel back then.

Nobody is denying that Mughlas did not build monuments and buildings to commemorate their loved ones and achievements. It was totally personal. Nothing for people to use. They built Gardens for themselves.

The question is, did Mughals build anything for an ordinary kumar or Ahmed on the street? Even Guptas built buildings and canals during their time for people and travelers to use. This was more than 2000 yrs ago.

Bottom line is, Mughals conquered India and they were self serving brutes. They enjoyed everything the country offered. Spread Islam and dominated subcontinent for 400 yrs.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Nobody is denying that Mughlas did not build monuments and buildings to commemorate their loved ones and achievements. It was totally personal. Nothing for people to use. They built Gardens for themselves.

The question is, did Mughals build anything for an ordinary kumar or Ahmed on the street? Even Guptas built buildings and canals during their time for people and travelers to use. This was more than 2000 yrs ago.

Bottom line is, Mughals conquered India and they were self serving brutes. They enjoyed everything the country offered. Spread Islam and dominated subcontinent for 400 yrs.

No problem, India can wipe all traces of Mughal history from the map, books and restaurants. You may converse in Sanskrit or Malayali, eat daal and shun kebabs, and replace gardens with cow pastures. It's your country. Pakistan is there to preserve Mughal culture on their side of the border.

 

[troodon]

No problem, India can wipe all traces of Mughal history from the map, books and restaurants. You may converse in Sanskrit or Malayali, eat daal and shun kebabs, and replace gardens with cow pastures. It's your country. Pakistan is there to preserve Mughal culture on their side of the border.

I was only refuting your claims you made about Mughals and other invaders. You portrayed as though Indians were waiting for a Messiah to releive us of the crisis we were in before Middle East and Central Asian invaders showed up.

Pakistan has to preserve anything Islamic that the invaders have brought in. It is an Islamic republic afterall. We do not have to wipe out all traces of Mughal history. It will be preserved as part of India's history. But claiming as though Mughals built great infra in a dirt poor subcontinent is delusional.

 

[Zorro]

Funny thing is Mughals forgot to improve the countries and places where they came from.

We can still see how progressive their ancestral lands are even today.

 

[Madplayer]

Any credible news site have reported this?

I'll find a couple of them for you. You can look for the rest yourself.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.al...rsary-gaw-kadal-massacre-180121185626847.html

https://thewire.in/189545/twenty-fo...victims-still-wait-for-justice/?fromNewsdog=1

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I was only refuting your claims you made about Mughals and other invaders. You portrayed as though Indians were waiting for a Messiah to releive us of the crisis we were in before Middle East and Central Asian invaders showed up.

Pakistan has to preserve anything Islamic that the invaders have brought in. It is an Islamic republic afterall. We do not have to wipe out all traces of Mughal history. It will be preserved as part of India's history. But claiming as though Mughals built great infra in a dirt poor subcontinent is delusional.

Happy that my post was effective in making you see the plus side of Mughal legacy. Win-win for all.

 

[Technics 1210]

Listening to LBC this morning, the reporter was on the streets asking random people if they had heard of the massacre, they all said no.

Now ask if they had heard of the Holocaust and how many died? They'd answer without flinching.

The educational system and propaganda machines are very careful on how not to only rewrite history, but to ensure the public subscribe to a particular view.

 

[Technics 1210]

Bottom line is, Mughals conquered India and they were self serving brutes. They enjoyed everything the country offered. Spread Islam and dominated subcontinent for 400 yrs.

As did the British. The roads/railways etc you speak of were simply built to loot and transfer the riches of the SC!

 

[mustang]

Happy that my post was effective in making you see the plus side of Mughal legacy. Win-win for all.

Very interesting to see the discourse in this thread. You are happy when someone sees your point of view from a Pakistani perspective. You find it offensive when someone seemingly or even unknowingly makes a comment against Mughal rule, yet you make direct conscious generalizations against Indians - they happily subjected themselves to the "glorious Islamic invaders" thanks to wife burning and caste system. How were Islamic societies in the middle ages? How are Islamic societies today? Do you have gender equalities or a perfect society? Comparing another medieval civilization to your personal version of your own culture can never be fair or authentic.

I think your stance in general has lots of ironies embedded in it.

And no, I'm not taking things out of context but commenting after following the discourse in the entire thread.

PS: The language is MALAYALAM and not MALAYALI (reference to your post above). Malayali refers to the person and not the language. This is like calling Pakistanis as Urdu or north Indians as Hindi.

 

[Technics 1210]

Don't believe the hype folks. As much as Hindutvas would like to pin the blame for the caste system on the British and Mughals, the reality is, the caste system is the product of none other than Hinduism itself!

How did caste come about?

Manusmriti, widely regarded to be the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law and dating back to at least 1,000 years before Christ was born, "acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society".

The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-35650616

 

[mustang]

Happy that my post was effective in making you see the plus side of Mughal legacy. Win-win for all.

PS: Not surprised at the irony at all. You do claim to be a fair Brit with the "We Brits, Us Brits" repetition on the one side, yet called Indian Americans as a not positive immigrant group (without any first hand knowledge), and also called Indians as butlers to white people (which got flagged and deleted I presume - thank you moderators).

Your posts have some intellect when in contrast to the blind hatred some Pakistani posters sadly seem to have (very similar to the hardcore right wing Indian posters found online) - but your posts also seem to be tainted with your own veiled prejudices.

 

[mustang]

Don't believe the hype folks. As much as Hindutvas would like to pin the blame for the caste system on the British and Mughals, the reality is, the caste system is the product of none other than Hinduism itself!

How did caste come about?



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-35650616

Caste system is age old. Any Indian who tries to blame an external group for caste system in India is lying or in denial.

 

[PakLFC]

History is full of such massacres. The victims and the perpetrators have long left this mortal world for ultimate judgement. There is no reason to bring up the past repeatedly asking for apologies for those who were not responsible. We can never move on if we are stuck in the past so forget Jalianwala Bagh, Operation Bluestar, 1947, 1965 and 1971. There is no point ins scratching old wounds, walk on with hope in you heart...

 

[Robert]

Centenary of the Massacre of Amritsar

Brigadier-General Dyer was a monster. He didn’t instruct the crowd to disperse, didn’t fire warning shots, just turned his guns on the crowd for ten minutes. They discharged 1600 rounds. Some soldiers elevated their aim to avoid hitting people but Dyer commanded them to aim low. He would have used machine guns if the armoured cars had fitted down the road.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Very interesting to see the discourse in this thread. You are happy when someone sees your point of view from a Pakistani perspective. You find it offensive when someone seemingly or even unknowingly makes a comment against Mughal rule, yet you make direct conscious generalizations against Indians - they happily subjected themselves to the "glorious Islamic invaders" thanks to wife burning and caste system. How were Islamic societies in the middle ages? How are Islamic societies today? Do you have gender equalities or a perfect society? Comparing another medieval civilization to your personal version of your own culture can never be fair or authentic.

I think your stance in general has lots of ironies embedded in it.

And no, I'm not taking things out of context but commenting after following the discourse in the entire thread.

PS: The language is MALAYALAM and not MALAYALI (reference to your post above). Malayali refers to the person and not the language. This is like calling Pakistanis as Urdu or north Indians as Hindi.

You are using quotation marks for my supposed words when in fact they are not my quotes at all. If you really want to make sweeping generalisations on my views then it might be better to use the actual quote feature and then we can discuss what I actually said if that bothers you.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I think this topic is already in full flow on another thread Rob:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...massacre-Theresa-May-tells-British-Parliament

 

[Technics 1210]

Brigadier-General Dyer was a monster. He didn’t instruct the crowd to disperse, didn’t fire warning shots, just turned his guns on the crowd for ten minutes. They discharged 1600 rounds. Some soldiers elevated their aim to avoid hitting people but Dyer commanded them to aim low. He would have used machine guns if the armoured cars had fitted down the road.

Brigadier-General Dyer may have been a monster but died a rich man because of his actions.

Question is when will UK schools teach the realities of the British empire?

 

[introvert]

at that time Michael Francis O'Dwyer was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab
O'Dwyer endorsed Colonel Reginald Dyer's action regarding the Amritsar massacre and termed it a "correct action".
It is believed that O'Dwyer gave orders & general dyer followed it.
In 1940 O'Dwyer was assassinated by Udham Singh in revenge of jaliya wala bag massacre.

 

[gazza619]

Its not really an apology, is it?

We deeply regret it my foot!

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Britain’s entire involvement and presence in India is something to regret

 

[Robert]

Listening to LBC this morning, the reporter was on the streets asking random people if they had heard of the massacre, they all said no.

Now ask if they had heard of the Holocaust and how many died? They'd answer without flinching.

The educational system and propaganda machines are very careful on how not to only rewrite history, but to ensure the public subscribe to a particular view.

The Massacre was studied in detail in the Gandhi film which won eight Oscars including Best Picture.

 

[Robert]

Its not really an apology, is it?

We deeply regret it my foot!

I don’t really see how someone can apologise for something one didn’t do. Dyer and all the other imperialists are long in the ground.

 

[Technics 1210]

The Massacre was studied in detail in the Gandhi film which won eight Oscars including Best Picture.

But movies are not in the national curriculum.

 

[dildilpak]

I don’t really see how someone can apologise for something one didn’t do. Dyer and all the other imperialists are long in the ground.

I don’t think Dyer was ever convicted for what he did? If he never paid for his sins, then the British govt definitely condoned what he did & therefore now owes an apology.

 

[Robert]

I don’t think Dyer was ever convicted for what he did? If he never paid for his sins, then the British govt definitely condoned what he did & therefore now owes an apology.

All those British Government officials are in their graves too. One can apologise for one’s personal actions only.

 

[Robert]

But movies are not in the national curriculum.

As far as I can make out, the point of British primary education is to get kids numerate and literate to a useful level for the workplace.

In my belief, kids should also be taught citizenship - how government works, rights versus responsibilities, how culture has developed over centuries, and that could include the international impact of Empire.

 

[dildilpak]

All those British Government officials are in their graves too. One can apologise for one’s personal actions only.

Doesn’t work that way. Nobody expects May to apologize personally, it is the British crown in whose name the nefarious deed was done that needs to apologize. The apology doesn’t mean anything in today’s world either, it is admitting the cruelty that was done on behalf of the British crown in the past to fulfill its coffers.

 

[Robert]

Doesn’t work that way. Nobody expects May to apologize personally, it is the British crown in whose name the nefarious deed was done that needs to apologize. The apology doesn’t mean anything in today’s world either, it is admitting the cruelty that was done on behalf of the British crown in the past to fulfill its coffers.

The “British Crown” is a concept, not a person. Only people can apologise, for their own deeds.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Indians need to get over themselves. Most of them are quite happy to support imperial wars fought in Arab countries, would they expect USA to apologise for their actions?

Prime Minister May has expressed regret over the events, which is more than India has ever done for their own massacre in the Golden Temple. Quit with the victim mentality and move on.

 

[Abdullah719]

‘Ashamed and sorry’: Archbishop of Canterbury on Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby on Tuesday visited Jallianwala Bagh memorial and said that he was both ‘ashamed and sorry’ for the crime which was committed at that site in 1919.

Welby also lied on the floor of the memorial after reading out a prayer to God to seek forgiveness.

While paying homage at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, Welby said, “I cannot speak for the British Government. I am not the official of the government but can speak in the name of Christ. It is a place for sin and redemption. You have remembered what they have done and their memory will live.”

“I am ashamed and sorry for the impact of the crime committed here. As a religious leader, I mourn the tragedy”, Welby said.

“Here I come only seeking in sorrow and repentance before the people who have suffered in the hands of British bullets. Again I cannot speak for the government but I speak with repentance,” he added.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on April 13, 1919, when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed protesters and pilgrims who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab’s Amritsar on the occasion of Baisakhi.

The crowd had assembled peacefully at the venue to condemn the arrest of two national leaders - Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew -- when they were fired at indiscriminately by General Dyer and his men.

Hundred years on, the United Kingdom is yet to give a full apology for the gruesome attack on unarmed protesters in Amritsar in 1919.

Earlier this year, former British Prime Minister Theresa May had said that the United Kingdom “deeply regrets” the 1919 massacre and called it a “shameful scar” on the British-Indian history.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/as-climate-advisor/story-tiRK3NUSBGjMIi5hKtsgpK.html

 

[Markhor]

Good man.

A British PM should be down on their hands and knees too.

 

[irfan]

‘Ashamed and sorry’: Archbishop of Canterbury on Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby on Tuesday visited Jallianwala Bagh memorial and said that he was both ‘ashamed and sorry’ for the crime which was committed at that site in 1919.

Welby also lied on the floor of the memorial after reading out a prayer to God to seek forgiveness.


https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/as-climate-advisor/story-tiRK3NUSBGjMIi5hKtsgpK.html

Pedantic point but that's a terrible use of English as it completely distorts the meaning of that sentence.

 

[troodon]

For how long British needs to keep apologizing for what their ancestors have done 100 years ago?

Are we going to demand apologies from Mongols, Arabs, Uzbeks and other central asian nations also who attacked and made us their subjects?

Nobody has to apologize for what their ancestors did. This is cringeworthy.