France moves to repeal colonial-era slavery law Code Noir

The Story

France’s parliament is moving to repeal the Code Noir, a 1685 decree that governed slaves in French colonies and remained on the books after slavery was abolished in 1848. The bill is expected to be adopted by the National Assembly on Thursday, May 28, 2026. The law classified enslaved people as movable property and allowed physical abuse, but France never formally repealed it.

Key Facts

• The Code Noir was signed by King Louis XIV in 1685 to govern slaves across France’s colonies.
• It declared enslaved people “movable property” and ordered mutilation for those who fled, and dictated that the word of an enslaved person counted for nothing.
• France abolished slavery in 1848, but the Code Noir was never formally repealed.
• President Emmanuel Macron said the code “should never have survived the abolition of slavery” and called the lack of action “a form of offense.”
• France ran the third-largest slave trade, shipping about 1.4 million Africans to plantations.
• The four oldest French slave colonies—Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Réunion—were made full French overseas departments in 1946.
• The overseas departments remain among France’s poorest territories, with unemployment roughly double the mainland rate.
• The repeal proposal was put forward by Max Mathiasin, a lawmaker from Guadeloupe who is a great-great-grandson of enslaved people.
• On May 21, 2026, Macron floated the idea of reparations but committed no money.
• The Taubira law of 2001 made France the first country to call the slave trade and slavery crimes against humanity.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

• Will the repeal of the Code Noir have any direct effect on racism and inequality in French overseas territories?
• Will France pursue financial reparations for slavery, given that Macron defined repair as truth-telling, education and historical work?

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Max Mathiasin – French lawmaker from Guadeloupe who proposed the repeal
• Muriel Jean-Baptiste – Paris-born nurse with family from Martinique
• President Emmanuel Macron – French president
• Jean-Marc Ayrault – former prime minister and chairman of the Foundation for the Memory of Slavery
• Pierre-Yves Bocquet – deputy director of the Foundation for the Memory of Slavery
• Max Relouzat – president of the Association for the Memory of Slaveries
• Florence Alexis – slavery expert and daughter of Haitian writer Jacques Stephen Alexis
• Élodie Léon – 29-year-old Paris-born woman with family from French Guiana
• Danièle Obono – French opposition lawmaker

Sources: abcnews.com