The 'slave trade' debate flared up in England! Slavery confession from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson: My grandmother was sold in Istanbul

The slavery reparations debate, which has recently come to the fore in England, was sparked by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's participation through his family's story.

After England's King Charles III refrained from apologizing for slavery, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to making a formal state apology for his country's role in the slave trade.

While Burnham offered £40 million in aid to Caribbean countries, those demanding slavery compensation declared that this amount was "insufficient".

Burnham pledged to hold a year-long "structured dialogue" with aggrieved parties to consider how Britain could make reparations for its past slave trade.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reacting to the negotiations initiated by the British government with the Caribbean countries, wrote in his article in the Daily Mail: "What a big fiasco! How stupid!" made his assessment.

Noting that his own family also had a history of slavery, Johnson claimed that his great-great-grandmother was sold into slavery in Istanbul.

Claiming that the compensation to be paid to slaves would be spent on purchasing new cars, Johnson told the story of Hanife Feride, who was sold into slavery in Istanbul in the 19th century.

According to the article written by Johnson, Hanife Feride, a Circassian girl who was sold as a slave in Istanbul in the 19th century, was brought to Istanbul via the Black Sea during Russia's exile of the Circassians in the Caucasus.

The 13-year-old little girl was put up for sale in the Grand Bazaar after a ten-day journey. While it was being inspected by people whose language they did not speak, the sellers knew that prices had dropped due to developments in the area.

Johnson used the following statements in his article:

"Due to the Russian occupation, the number of Circassian slaves coming from the Caucasus increased. In a news report prepared for the London Post from Istanbul at the time, the statement 'White human meat has never been as cheap as it is now' was used. The newspaper also wrote that the price of a 'good or middle-class Circassian girl' had dropped from 100 pounds to 5 pounds."

Stating that Hanife Feride was bought by a kind-hearted Turkish woman and the Turkish woman took her to her home, Johnson noted that the fate of her great-great-grandmother changed with this development.

Johnson said in his article:

"A kind-hearted Turkish woman bought her and took her to her home. The woman educated the girl and eventually married her to her own son. The son, who was a successful businessman at the time, was 43 years old and had lost his wife. The young girl was only 13 years old. The little girl's life changed."

Thanking the research of his sister Rachel and cousin Sinan, Johnson said, "We Johnsons come from slavery." he said.

In his article, Johnson argued against paying compensation from public funds to the descendants of societies affected by slavery. Citing his own family's past as an example, he stated that his request to be given money could not be accepted because he was the grandchild of a slave.

At the end of his article, Johnson criticized Burnham's decision to initiate negotiations with Caribbean countries and argued that the Prime Minister should give up this initiative. He called on Burnham to step back before the process progresses any further.