Macron Proposes Abolishing Royal Decrees on Slavery

PARIS (Yonhap News) -- President Emmanuel Macron of France has proposed abolishing the royal decrees that codified slavery in former French colonies.

Macron made the proposal on May 21 (local time) while commemorating the 25th anniversary of the "Taubira Law," which recognized slavery and the slave trade as crimes against humanity, according to AFP and the daily Liberation.

The "Taubira Law," enacted on May 1, 2001, acknowledged the Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trade and was the first in the world to define slavery as a crime against humanity. It also included provisions for including the history of slavery in school curricula and pursuing national memory and commemoration policies. The law was named after its sponsor, Christiane Taubira, a Black female politician from French Guiana.

At the event, Macron reflected on the significance of the Taubira Law and expressed his desire for the government to go a step further by proposing legislation to abolish the "Black Code," which served as the legal foundation for slavery in the colonies.

The "Black Code" refers to decrees enacted during the French monarchy in the 17th and 18th centuries that stipulated the legal status of enslaved people in the colonies.

Although France officially abolished slavery in 1848, these royal decrees have never been formally repealed.

"There are still laws that should never have survived the abolition of slavery," Macron said, calling them a "mistake," "a kind of insult," and a "betrayal of the values that the Republic symbolizes."

Macron also addressed the issue of reparations for colonial-era slavery.

"How can we compensate for such crimes? This is a question that should not be avoided," he said, while also expressing a cautious stance, stating, "We must not make hollow promises on this issue."

"We must honestly admit that we can never fully compensate for these crimes, because it is impossible," Macron said. "The damage cannot be precisely quantified in monetary terms, and there are no words that can fully close this chapter of history."

He added, "True recognition and compensation lie in our collective acceptance of bearing the great sorrow of France and the Republic together."

Macron's remarks on this day contrasted with France's position during the vote on a UN General Assembly resolution in March, which recognized the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as "the most heinous crimes against humanity."

That resolution called for the initiation of discussions on financial and symbolic reparations to be provided by former slave-trading nations. France abstained at the time, arguing on the grounds that "crimes against humanity cannot be ranked." This stance drew strong criticism from elected officials in Africa and overseas territories.

However, since taking office in 2017, Macron has consistently pursued actions to correct historical errors.

In 2018, Macron pledged to erect a memorial for slavery victims, which is scheduled to be built in early 2025.

Recently, he also promulgated a law to streamline the process of returning cultural artifacts looted during the colonial era.