Antiques auction selling neck shackles accused of profiting from slavery'

"Neck irons dated to the Omani-Arab dominated trade in enslaved people in east Africa, which ended after African resistance and British pressure in the late 19th century, will go on sale this weekend in Scotland. The auctioneer Marcus Salter, of Cheeky Auctions in Tain, Ross, said he wanted to ensure history was confronted with the sale of the sensitive artefact and did not wish to offend."

"Salter said he was selling the chains for a dealer whose father had owned them for 50 years, adding: No matter what happens there's going to be money made out of it from somewhere. He claimed if the item was donated to a museum, it could be put into storage and never seen again, and that slavery-linked mahogany was sold and used without controversy. I think it's important not to upset and offend, but shock people into learning the whole truth, Salter said."

An antiques auction in Scotland will sell neck irons linked to the enslavement of African people in Zanzibar, dated to 1780 and associated with the Omani-Arab slave trade that ended in the late 19th century after African resistance and British pressure. The auction, called Challenging History, lists the shackles with an estimated value of about £1,000. Auctioneer Marcus Salter said he wants history confronted and argued museums might store and hide such artefacts, while a Labour MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, said trading the items continues to profit from the slave trade. A local bidder said he would boycott the auction.

Read at www.theguardian.com