France Repeals Slavery-Era Code Noir

France's National Assembly voted unanimously on Thursday to repeal the Code Noir, a 1685 royal decree that classified enslaved people as property and governed their treatment in France's colonies. The vote, supported by all 254 lawmakers present, marks the formal abolition of a law that remained on the books despite slavery being abolished in 1848.

Lawmaker Steevy Gustave, descended from enslaved people from Martinique, delivered an emotional speech during the debate. 'We are not descendants of slaves,' he said through tears. 'We are descendants of human beings born free, then reduced to the worst — reduced to slavery.' The Code Noir's 60 articles included provisions allowing for brutal punishments and denying enslaved people any legal standing.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for repealing the law but stopped short of endorsing reparations. 'The silence, even the indifference, that we have maintained for nearly two centuries toward this Black Code is no longer an oversight,' he said last week. 'It has become a form of offense.' The debate over reparations remains contentious in France, with some arguing it's necessary to address historical injustices and others opposing financial compensation.

The repeal comes as France continues to grapple with racial inequalities, particularly in its overseas territories like Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Réunion. These departments, made full parts of France in 1946, have higher poverty rates and lower economic opportunities than mainland France. Lawmaker Max Mathiasin, who introduced the repeal bill, noted that 'In Guadeloupe... the most important positions in the structures of the state are held by whites.' The vote is seen as a symbolic step toward acknowledging France's colonial past and its lasting effects.

The Code Noir's 60 articles turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped, and murdered. Article 44 declared the enslaved 'movable property'—assets a master could acquire like real estate. Those who fled faced branding, amputation of their ears, or even death. The word of an enslaved person counted for nothing.

Despite being fully part of France, the overseas departments remain among its poorest territories. Unemployment runs roughly double the mainland rate, and more than three-quarters of households in Mayotte live below the national poverty line. Critics argue that systemic racism persists in France, with some comparing it to a form of apartheid or colonial continuity.

The repeal is seen as a symbolic step toward acknowledging France's colonial past and its lasting effects. However, critics note that the move commits the French government to no concrete actions addressing contemporary racial inequalities or reparations for historical injustices.