today belgium's king foley sent a letter to the congolese people to express his regrets for the horrors unleashed upon them by his royal ancestor king leopold the 2nd statues of leopold are now coming down across belgium a national reckoning along with royal regrets about the painful colonial past and the legacy still haunting both nations today i'm burnt off in berlin this is the day. that. the time has come for belgium to embark on a journey of their search and journey of truth johnny of memory. of the seas the congo is not really independent. anywhere on the truth and memory and bones acknowledging the suffering and knowledge and the suffering of office building to

promote its independence by name but not mentally politically or physically if you can with. this recognition was clearly expressed this morning by a sun friend in his letter to president to say katie to the congolese people. say it's a measure of regret it's not a letter of apology speeds it was given that's it he'll have to apologize or rather ask to be forgiven for what our ancestors did or else it. also coming up tonight the european union begins reopening its borders tomorrow to travelers from countries that have flattened the coronavirus occur canadians will be allowed in americans will no i think then banning americans is totally reasonable i mean the us has done a very similar thing to europe i don't think they'll. necessarily be

a rush because i don't think people are really ready to travel yet. but you all reviewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome we begin the day with a royal regret sent from europe to africa today for the 1st time in belgian history the reigning king expressed regret over his country's colonial past in the democratic republic of congo it is important to note that a regret is no apology which many in the d r c have demanded and still demand that said what was communicated today by the key is an acknowledgement and official recognition of the pain inflicted upon the congolese people in the name of the belgian state at the same time in belgium today a stance you have king leopold the 2nd was removed from a public square in the late 19th century leopold's forces led a massive exploitation of the congo millions of congolese people died during 75

years of brutal belgian colonial rule. in brussels today the belgian prime minister unveiled a plaque to commemorate the anniversary of the independents here is part of what she said. maybe the time has come for belgium to embark on a journey of research a journey of truth a journey of memory but 1st many work on the truth and memory involves acknowledging the suffering acknowledging the suffering of others. this recognition that it was clearly expressed this morning by our sovereign in his letter to president she said to the congolese people in. the belgian prime minister speaking there to what many say is an overdue coming to terms with the country's colonial past the catalyst for that came not from belgium not from the democratic republic of congo but rather from the united states more than a month ago

a black man was killed by a white police officer in minneapolis the death of george 4 had ignited weeks of protests many led by black lives matter calls for racial justice that were heard thousands of miles across the atlantic here in europe including belgium. is joins me now from brussels good evening to you georg the calls for racial justice in the u.s. they certainly or echoing where you are talk to me about what is happening now in belgium. exactly brooke brown the black live smetters. protests have really sparked some momentum here in belgium a country that has practically not dealt with its difficult colonial past and now with these protests on site it's quite incredible if if you travel the country and pay attention it is packed with colonial art in public spaces alone in brussels you

have 18 monuments as celebrating that belgium brought civilization to add to africa and to the to the congo. and that is something that many people of congo these descent feel is just wrong it sends the wrong message and you have to deal with the past in order to find a good way in truth future a future without racism that is what on right see an artist story and told me his her story. finally i'm betsy feels a little less alone. for years the obvious story and has tried to challenge the way belgium deals with its colonial past now she's among thousands calling for the removal of all monuments of the country's longest serving monarch the man who had adopt a brutal colonial regime in what is now the democratic republic of congo king leopold the 2nd. we all know that those shows have

a symbolic power and i'm totally can peel thout for some people. they are they don't want us to demonstrate or they will don't want people to demonstrate and to see with these cheers not because they want to keep those statues there they want to keep else in earth of inferiority of. hundreds he was born in belgium but had to fight racism all her life she struggled to forge a career in the arts facing many rejections now she has opened her own gallery that spotlights the work of black artists because the responses here is very sceptical and this is what me makes it so dangerous and so home fool to there are so many examples like if you're looking for an apartment

you have to say anderson yeah that you know don't waste my time unplug. maybe not oh maybe you're right he apartment has a really neat has already been taken the racism in belgium however is not only fueled by a false image of the colonial era beliefs or colic leopold's like to see also reveals vital interests. izing the most vulnerable spot. where this vision enterprise families go to reach thanks to. thanks to congo and congo we helped them to become a state statues of leopold the 2nd like this one in the seaside resort of all stand are everywhere but there is no mention that his lavish public spending was financed by congolese robber and no mention of the millions of congolese people killed in the process instead the official website directs tourists to

a walking tour highlighting how the king's achievements bolstered the town's prestige since the protests started a number of statues and busts have been taken down. but of origins are busy restoring others this history professor things that sends the wrong message. to mean problems of voting and this is again a difference with other former clooney matter polls is that we do not have any monuments for victims of the colonization or heroes of and take luna distance. unvetted she is collecting her son she wants him to learn as much as possible about his family's history her old mother still remembers the brutal reality of colonial rule in the mid 20th century and effete not our parents back in africa didn't want us to see how they were abused so one day they told me not to come near us i was

curious so i hid and saw how they slapped my father. why are they doing this i asked. and he replied i was punished because i didn't have enough money to pay our taxes. in the. i'm betsy knows that many parents of congolese descent do not like to share on pleasant memories but for her son and the generations to come she feels transparency is the best way forward. to india to this a close family so transparent. all those family secrets are passed on from generation to generation and it's raised on people when you say things clearly this alert is future generations to cope with the past so they don't become victims of what remains in our collective consciousness seem to suggest soon key has to do not consume collective. the exact opposite is what you find in colonial art

a glorification of this time in the africa museum in brussels most of the colonial art has been confined to a small room in the basement but as long as people from that eros still are life what's the fields that's not enough. to damn is just all look at our past how glorious it was maybe we should put all those to choose away from them for the moment maybe wait that those people disappear and then show them again but with another method and just with the real message that. belgium didn't bring civilisations to belgium came to steal everywhere you go in belgium you come across colonial monuments confronting the reality of this past is a painful but crucial process what's he feels now a 1st step has been made. you know the story this rethink is

going on i mean you can see how profound it is when it's personalized as you did in your story there the belgian king's expression of regret that he said today it fell short of being an apology what do you make of that. well regrets of course are more indicative of a personal feeling and there is clearly in a regret less legal scope if you want than in an official apology for instance when it comes to demands for reparations and that is what many a belgian. activist self congolese to send directly asking put money on the table not just one was it's a nice step but what we need to see is some action and that is and that is not what has been happening this is more a personal feeling from from the king philip that is what many people told me today

. what you're talking about there is possibly reparations and you're right it's we're a long way from being close to making that a reality so this expression of regret or even an apology will that be enough. look of course you have those people who say regrets will never be enough and they will never pay for the atrocities will never pay for the pain that has been inflicted by this belgian regime under colonial times that is what people clearly told me but it was quite interesting to see that after that statement that royal statement everywhere i went today people have been debating what that means what are the consequences that the country is moving forward it's a 1st step that clearly has for many been the signal i went to a particular place it's called the mumba square it's the only place where there is some reference to a colonial hero the 1st prime minister of the democratic republic of congo and here is what people had to say i don't think that's enough i think it's

a beginning but it's really been 8 years after he depended on that i think that the people of britain would stop asking him. so much for you to make a change and. from on the phone talking it's true we're happy with his reaction to just something many congolese people are been waiting for his shows us the king is listening and aware of the situation in the congo when it comes to the declaration i think he won't only stop there still is up to 7 months of that that when if we do that the kind of expressing really just is not enough they have to apologize openly . through the you know to national community must see that. balance of government that he. called marriage that's what's house don't go where he's not going to use it almost a crime against humanity. and again organise national reckoning that we're seeing

now in belgium i'm wondering what's what's being taught in the schools you have school age children are they learning about colonialism and its legacy. my kids' friends are still too young to really tackle colonialism and come to grips with that about of course coming from a federal republic i was surprised to learn that in a kingdom the children when i asked my daughter about the confided she still takes position you know and it tells you something about how this kid and the history and the and the monarchy is being dealt with here and of course i have many friends with older children who have said it's terrible but that the children do not learn at all about the colonial legacy and about all the horrors that have been done all they lawn is that little paul the 2nd. got the money and build all these beautiful things you see in brussels but they don't show the doc sights of that system and

that's quite interesting is the 1st thing that changed the 1st thing that was changed already is the syllabus of schools of older classes the education minister stepped forward the 1st day of the black life matters protests and said we will change things and we will tackle our history in a better way you know reconciliation is easier when it starts with the young people that's for sure this reporting tonight from brussels as always thank you or belgians colonial past left a legacy that can even be traced in the d.n.a. of people living today during colonial rule belgian men father didn't estimated 20000 children with congolese women the belgian government fears that these children could pose a threat to the racial hierarchies within the colonies thousands of children were kidnapped from their mothers and placed in adoptive families or homes in belgium families torn apart our next report introduces us to

a woman in search of her heritage and her family tree. jackie who have oil was 3 and a half years old when she came to belgium this picture shows her at the airport in brussels and her father a belgian citizen died a couple of months after her birth and the belgian colonial government didn't want to leave her upbringing to her room one day and mother. the police came by to get multiple times my mother went into hiding with us again and again but then the police received the order to take us away using violence if necessary use on to the funeral mass 1st shirky who was placed with catholic nuns in rwanda then in 1959 she was adopted by a family in belgium back then this report about her was published in a newspaper thousands of other kids with belgian dads and rwandan congolese or

burundi and moms shared the same fate during belgium's colonial rule many of them never saw their families again this letter was the 1st sign of her mother from rwanda after many years. my future could be in my daughters are clean i'm very happy to be able to send you this screeching are you i was very pleased about your letter she. says. shortly after having received it at the age of 21 jackie who visited her mother in rwanda for the 1st and last time. everyone told me you have to be careful with africa's maybe it won't even be your mother chill tragic get money from you will maybe you shouldn't go there i believe there are stories so when i saw her i thought she was not my mother i travelled back

but she really was my mother. almost 20 years later her mother died as a victim of the genocide in rwanda jackie who had worse stayed in belgium she studied and worked as a computer scientist for many years now she's retired. you live your life but again and again there were these moments when i wanted to know what had actually happened to me i was confronted with boundaries and with the end billing mr grant has access to our own history that made me a bit furious to work. for mark. for the 1st time in the spring of 2019 the belgian government apologized to the abductions but when jackie who reads it even today there are still people who claim

colonialism had a positive influence she knows that the past still costs shock today. we can't just focus on those areas that are having the surge it puts the entire country at risk we are now having 40 plus 1000 new cases a day i would not be surprised if we go up to 100000 a day if this does not turn around and so i am very concerned that is the grim prediction of america's leading public health official dr anthony fallacy the pandemic in america in stark contrast to europe is going from bad to worse quickly so it should be no surprise to learn that the european union is refusing entry to american travelers beginning tomorrow the e.u. will reopen its borders to 14 countries which have the coronavirus curb the u.s. russia brazil and india are not on that list. rome's biggest sites are once

again open for terrorists but for americans there's no place at the table a painful reality for many businesses. and more input on. american tourism is very important film all but it's a country with many inhabitants and the number of tourists is very high and they always come to rome where they always have come if they don't come everything will be affected by. the us was europe's 2nd largest source of non-domestic tourists in 2018 when the u.k.'s counted americans even visited ireland in higher numbers than brits. one possible bright spot travelers from china could soon be allowed back in the e.u. chinese tourist numbers have steadily gone up over the years. still the going is. for europe's top destinations this summer even europeans are staying closer to home and that could leave many businesses with no other choice but to shut their doors.

germany has made lots of headlines lately last week was the scandal at the online payment superstar wire cards 2000000000 euros missing from the books now the question how did german regulators let that happen when german frantic why a car filed for insolvency last week many outside the financial center says the world shrugged their shoulders after all the company once a shooting star that made it right into germany's plute ship dax index was all but unknown to the consumers would likely not know whether or not they had any business with wire card but millions of customers of banking apps like her pocket or on a money fund the assets frozen and banking cards not working today many were advised to refrain from non-urgent money transfers so as not to or well the fragile system meanwhile master card and visa half want clients that they could find

themselves locked out of payment networks to. and. a scandal like this one must be a wake up call that we need more supervision and control of the financial markets than we have today we oldest to the shareholders the employees of these companies and in particular to germany as a financial center and all of us as citizens. among the institutions task was supervising financial firms german regulator bof and as well as the european central bank according to reuters regulators fail to classify why a card is a financial holding and hold it to higher standards asked for why a card score business experts stand by it i'm sure this is. in the end we should actually count of companies like why are card it is a business with a future of this kind of payment technology. we know that our banks are past their peak and why a card looked like it had

a golden future. however that promise only holds if tighter regulation ensures customers can trust that their payments are processed correctly . read it became the latest online platform to take action against hate speech on monday and closed down 2000 killed in a crackdown that the tech company says is aimed at community promote feet i called again and howard is here at the big table with me now to talk about this this seems like a big move why is it significant because many headlines that we've read of the past months and years have preferred to on the facebook and twitter the bahamut spittle of the wall of reddit has gone under the right to speak but it's a place that if you've been there and you use it has long made facebook and twitter look tiny this is where real hype has lived online particularly aggressive it's a place where people of color and they ridicule it's

a place where users were allowed to traffic in stolen nude photos and there was not no action taken against them. so that's why it's amazing that on monday i read it suddenly shut down $3000.00 groups or sub rate it's on the grounds that they allowed height speech does including the largest pro trump community on break that cold the don't know in the round to the election trump participated in a q. and imo saudis not officially connected to them but he's the individual of those 2000 who's lost most by by these actions of 2000 groups may shut down these last 800000 followers just on that sauce if it's huge and that's not the only blood that donald trump has suffered online in the past few weeks is it so the 1st one warning shot we had was tweet of fact checking trump's tweets the false claims he made last month but now it's very much the ripple effect is going out rate it announced this ban just after that twitch announced it had suspended president trump channel 3 broadcasting the speech where he referred to mexicans as rapists earlier this month

snap chat said it would no longer promote trump he's got $1500000.00 followers there but he'll no longer train on that platform so it's a lot of people don't make any mistake facebook and twitter are still his largest concerns for some of these smaller audiences you put them together but it's also demographically they talk to a really gung audience who are going to be voting for the 1st time to 2020 we've got to. supporters go online now giving us got the answer and that is by downloading the trump campaign app and you can they can say what they want when they want and how they want directly to that audience if you can move that audience he's. made it out of the damage and if you can do that because it's not it's easier said than done online it's a sure thing thank you very much. the day is always done the conversation continues online join us on twitter either you w. news you can follow me at brit got t.v. and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll see you then everybody.

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