Written by: Badr Ahmed

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a serious debate on the issue of reparations related to slavery crimes, stressing that his country cannot ignore this historical issue, despite the difficulty of repairing what he described as a crime that cannot be fully compensated.

Paris opens the door to discussion on compensation for Africans

Macron's remarks came during a ceremony held in the French capital, Paris, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Taubira Act, which France adopted in 2001, officially recognizing the slave trade and colonial slavery as a crime against humanity.

This law, unanimously passed by the French parliament on May 21, 2001, is a historic step that made France the first country in the world to officially recognize that the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in the colonies constitute a crime against humanity.

In a speech addressing the legacy of slavery and its effects that extend to this day, Macron said: We must have the courage and honesty to admit that this crime cannot be fully rectified, but he stressed at the same time that the question of how to provide reparations should not be rejected or ignored. .

The French president added that dealing with this issue requires a delicate balance, explaining that the discussion about compensation should not be accompanied by false or unrealistic promises, in reference to the sensitivity of the issue within French society and between the countries and former colonies of France.

Macron also announced during the event that the so-called Code Noir, a set of decrees issued during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to regulate the slave trade in the French colonies, will be officially and explicitly removed from French law.

Historical estimates indicate that France was responsible for approximately 111,300 TP3T of the total transatlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries, transporting over 1.3 million Africans to its colonies in the Americas to work in harsh conditions under the system of slavery.

Although France officially abolished slavery in 1848 and later acknowledged the historical injustices suffered by slaves in its former colonies, successive French governments have so far refused repeated demands to pay financial compensation or provide direct compensation programs for victims and their descendants.