Macron Backs Symbolic Repeal of France's Slavery Laws, Warns Against 'False Promises' on Reparations
Macron called the decrees a betrayal and asked the government to advance a bill that would repeal them, with reparations still unresolved.
- On Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron endorsed repealing the Code Noir during a ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris marking the 25th anniversary of legislation recognizing slavery as "crimes against humanity."
- France abolished slavery over a century ago, yet royal decrees from the 17th and 18th centuries that established the legal status of enslaved people in its colonies were never formally overturned.
- Lawmakers on the National Assembly's law committee backed the bill on Wednesday, which now requires a vote in both houses to finalize the repeal.
- Addressing the "immense question" of reparations, Macron warned against making "false promises," stating "we can never fully repair this crime, because it is impossible."
- Calls mount for the government to initiate formal dialogue on slavery's enduring legacy as Macron's second and final five-year term ends next year.
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Macron calls on France to address question of how to make reparations for slavery
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Thursday for his country to address the question of reparations for slavery. His appeal came at a ceremony in Paris commemorating the 25th anniversary of the so-called Taubira law that recognises the slave trade as a crime against humanity.
leprogres.fr
vosgesmatin.frOn Wednesday, 20 May, Members of Parliament meeting in committee unanimously adopted a bill to repeal the Black Code, a set of legal texts from the French colonial past. The bill will be considered by all deputies on 28 May.
The issue of slavery and related reparations is on the agenda in France. Although the institution of slavery was finally abolished in the country in 1848, the laws governing it have not been repealed. President Emmanuel Macron supports the repeal of the Black Code, and believes that the symbolic legal step could finally break centuries of inaction.
Emmanuel Macron spoke at a ceremony in Elysée on Thursday about the issue of reparations related to slavery and trafficking, a first for a French head of state. But he disappointed those who hoped for concrete announcements.
Macron backs symbolic repeal of France's slavery laws, warns against 'false promises' on reparations
President Emmanuel Macron endorsed repealing centuries-old royal decrees that codified slavery in French colonies on Thursday, calling their continued existence “an offence” to the Republic. Marking 25 years since France recognised slavery as a crime against humanity, Macron also reopened debate on reparations.
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