GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The descendants of a 19th century Scottish sugar and coffee planter who owned thousands of slaves in Guyana apologised Friday for the sins of their ancestor, calling slavery a crime against humanity with lasting negative impacts.

Charles Gladstone, a descendant of former plantation owner John Gladstone, travelled to Guyana from Britain with five relatives to offer the formal apology.

“It is with deep shame and regret that we acknowledge our ancestors’ involvement in this crime, and with heartfelt sincerity we apologise to the descendants of the enslaved in Guyana,” he told an audience at University of Guyana. “In doing so we acknowledge slavery’s continuing impact on the daily lives of many.”

Neither Guyana President Irfaan Ali — who on Thursday demanded reparations and lashed out at the descendants of European slave traders — nor other senior government officials were in the audience of a couple hundred students, university staff members, and representatives of grass roots organisations.

During his speech Gladstone announced that his family would create a fund for various unnamed projects in the country as part of a “meaningful and long-term relationship between our family and the people of Guyana”.

“In writing this heartfelt apology we also acknowledge Sir John Gladstone’s role in bringing indentured labourers to Guyana, and apologise for the clear and manifold injustices of this,” he said.

John Gladstone was the father of 19th century British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and received more than 100,000 pounds in compensation for hundreds of slaves.

A renowned 1823 slave revolt took place on his estate at Success Village on Guyana’s east coast. The Demerara rebellion was crushed in two days, with hundreds of slaves killed. Some enslaved people were beheaded and had their heads planted on poles on the way to Georgetown, Guyana’s colonial and current capital, as a lesson to others with similar ideas.

Outside the auditorium where Gladstone made the apology, a handful of protesters shouted “Murderers!” and held signs reading, “The Gladstones are murderers” and “Stolen people, stolen dreams”.

The leader of the protest, Cedric Castellow, dismissed the apology as “perfunctory” and said Britain and other European countries owe Guyana and the Caribbean billions of dollars in reparation payments.