French MPs voted with a rare unanimity (254 in favor, 0 against) on the “Code Noir”, the royal decree signed in 1685 by Louis XIV. This text officially defined them as “movable property”, institutionalizing a violent colonial order that allowed people to be beaten, sold and killed.
What was ‘Code Noir’
The Black Code formed the legal core of French slavery for nearly two centuries. Although it abolished slavery in 1848, this decree was never formally repealed.
This discovery shocked French public opinion, as for decades, a legal text that dehumanized millions of people remained formally in force.
The Macron intervention and the issue of reparations
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the silence surrounding the “Code Noir” is now “a form of insult”.
At the same time, he indirectly opened the debate on reparations for slavery for the first time, but without giving a concrete plan or financial commitments.
Colonial legacy that remains pending
The debate on the past of slavery is directly linked to the French overseas territories, such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Reunion.
Although they have been full parts of France since 1946, they remain areas of high poverty and unemployment, which many associate with the long colonial history.
“It’s not just symbolism”
MPs and citizens from enslaved populations called the decision important, but insufficient.
Some pointed out that no parliamentary vote could undo centuries of violence and loss, while others spoke of continued institutional racism.
The issue of reparations and the colonial past
Talk of reparations has recently returned, with Macron referring to the concept of reparations as “an issue we should not dismiss”, but without specific commitments.
Historically, France had forced the now-independent Haiti to pay reparations to former slave owners, a financial burden that lasted until 1947.
A decision with a mainly symbolic character
Despite its gravity, the repeal of the “Code Noir” does not directly change the legal framework, as the text has not been in force since 1848.
As analysts note, this is more an act of historical recognition than institutional change – a step in France’s long and open dialogue with its colonial past.
