France Acknowledges Need for Slavery Reparations

Almaz Teffera, Human Rights Watch

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the need for reparations in connection with France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on May 21.

Macron said that reparations for enslavement crimes should no longer be ignored. He also warned against “false promises,” emphasizing that the legacy of enslavement could never be fully repaired because it was “impossible.” Macron backed the symbolic repeal of the never-abolished “Code Noir,” which were royal decrees from the 17th and 18th century that governed enslavement in French colonies.

France was a top influential transatlantic slave-trading European nation.

Macron’s remarks, made during a 25th anniversary commemoration of France’s law recognizing enslavement and the transatlantic slave trade as crimes against humanity, constituted a notable rhetorical shift by the French government. But Macron stopped short of specifying the kind of reparations that he envisions and whether financial redress will be part of it.

Macron focused on initiatives related to memorialization, education, and research, while also supporting an international scientific research project launched by Ghana on the legacies of enslavement. These measures, while important, are not a substitute for a comprehensive reparatory framework with full reparations, including measures that address contemporary systemic inequalities and racism rooted in enslavement legacies.

Learn how people and groups have repeatedly called on France for reparations.

Some argue that reparations are necessary to preserve the strength of Black political power.

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