France Finally Repeals Its 17th-Century Slavery Law
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- The Code Noir, a French colonial law that dehumanized and brutalized enslaved people, was never formally repealed by France, sparking outrage and emotional debates in the National Assembly.
- Lawmakers like Steevy Gustave, descended from enslaved Martinicans, emphasized that repealing the law is necessary but insufficient to repair centuries of suffering and injustice.
- The Code Noir legally defined enslaved individuals as property and sanctioned severe punishments, with President Emmanuel Macron condemning its continued existence as an offense, though stopping short of issuing an apology.
- Max Mathiasin, a Guadeloupean lawmaker and descendant of enslaved people, spearheaded the repeal effort, viewing it as a step toward restoring dignity to ancestors and fulfilling France’s republican ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
- The repeal is seen by some as a symbolic but incomplete step in France’s ongoing struggle to fully acknowledge and reconcile with its colonial and slavery-related past.