French lawmakers voted unanimously on Thursday to annul the 'Code Noir'-a series of 17th and 18th-century royal decrees that defined enslaved people in French colonies as 'moveable goods.' The vote, which moved some legislators to tears, is a symbolic act as France continues to confront its colonial past.
Though France abolished slavery over 170 years ago and recognized the slave trade as a crime against humanity in 2001, these outdated laws had never been formally overturned. President Emmanuel Macron, in his final year in office, threw his support behind the repeal. The bill now heads to the Senate for an undetermined vote.
'The Code Noir' originally mandated that all enslaved people be baptized Catholic and prohibited work on Sundays. However, it also legalized brutal punishments, including ear mutilation for escape attempts, and declared that children born to enslaved parents inherited their status as property.
During the debate, Green Party lawmaker Steevy Gustave, a descendant of enslaved people from Martinique, became emotional. 'I'm thinking of my great-grandmother, Mama Bebelle,' he said. 'We are not descendants of slaves. We are descendants of human beings who were born free, then reduced to slavery.'
Activists argue the gesture falls short. Dieudonne Boutrin, an activist from Martinique, said the annulment 'changes nothing,' calling for a real reparations program. Officials from Martinique and Haiti have demanded a formal acknowledgment of lasting harm and a 10-point reparations plan, including debt cancellation and funding for education and healthcare.
Haiti, once France's wealthiest colony, was forced to pay France 'reparations' for its independence until 1952, a burden that contributed to its enduring poverty. Macron has suggested a joint commission of French and Haitian historians to study the issue.