France votes unanimously to abolish Code Noir, a colonial-era slavery law
The symbolic repeal follows mounting calls for reparatory measures as France confronts the legacy of its 1.4 million-person slave trade, officials said.
- The French National Assembly unanimously voted 254-0 to repeal the Code Noir, a 1685 law governing enslaved people in France's colonies and classifying them as movable property.
- Although France abolished slavery in 1848, the Code Noir had never been formally repealed and remained a symbol of the country's unresolved colonial legacy.
- The repeal is viewed as a symbolic and necessary step toward reconciliation, but critics argue it does not fully address systemic racism and ongoing inequalities faced by descendants of enslaved people in French overseas departments.
- President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the survival of the Code Noir was offensive and proposed reparations focused on truth-telling and education, without committing to an apology or financial compensation.
95 Articles
95 Articles
Abrogating the Code Noir: Fine for Slaves, But Other Victims Will Wait
In a unanimous vote on Thursday, May 28th, French MPs voted to repeal the royal edicts dating from the 17th and 18th centuries that governed the status of black people in the former French colonies, of which the Code Noir is the most iconic. In 1848, France voted to abolish slavery, but this vote was never accompanied by the repeal of the provisions governing slavery, which had since become obsolete. That has now been done. Although debates were…
'We Are Descendants of Human Beings': Tears in Parliament as France Repeals 1685 Slavery Law
France's lower house of parliament has voted unanimously to repeal the 1685 Code Noir, the colonial-era decree that once defined enslaved Africans as property. The National Assembly decision, 254-0, formally removes a law that had long lost legal force but remained symbolically present in French statute books. The Code Noir, signed under King Louis XIV, regulated slavery across France's colonies, authorising brutal punishments, forced labour, an…
The code noir dates back to the 17th century and is still in force: the National Assembly voted to repeal it
Under the laws of the "Code Noir", people were enslaved, raped and killed. Even if they had long ceased to apply, France has only now abolished the laws. The question of reparation payments remains.
All 254 MPs present voted in favor of the repeal, representing a rare moment of unity in an otherwise politically divided parliament.
The debates held on Thursday 28 May in the Chamber revealed the hypocrisy of the National Rally, while resonating with the burning news of discrimination and racism in contemporary France. Many Members deplored the inaction of the Head of State in this regard.
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