France’s National Assembly Unanimously Votes to Repeal Slavery Laws
France's National Assembly voted unanimously to formally abolish the Code Noir and all legal texts that once regulated slavery in its colonial territories, removing laws that remained technically on the books.
The symbolic vote took place on Thursday, May 28th, with all 254 deputies present supporting the measure. Representatives from across the political spectrum backed the bill to definitively strike these 17th and 18th century documents from French law.
The move represents the first formal abrogation of these texts since 1848, when slavery was officially ended in French territories. It comes a quarter century after the Taubira Law recognized the slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
Max Mathiasin, the bill’s rapporteur representing Guadeloupe under the Liot group, framed the action as necessary for historical justice. While acknowledging that the measure alone cannot heal all historical wounds, he called for this step as an act of memory, justice, and recognition.
Naïma Moutchou, Minister for Overseas Territories, emphasized that while the Code Noir has had no legal effect for many years, its imprint and weight remain present in French society. She called for removing what she described as an unworthy text from French law.
The Code Noir, originally promulgated under King Louis XIV, codified the treatment of enslaved persons in French colonies and remained technically on the books despite having no practical application in modern times. The unanimous vote signals cross-party consensus on addressing this historical legacy, even as France continues broader debates over its colonial past.
The abolition applies to all legislative texts that regulated slavery across France’s colonial empire, marking what supporters view as an overdue legal housekeeping with significant symbolic importance for descendants of enslaved populations in French overseas territories.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
