French lawmakers unanimously repeal the 1685 Code Noir nearly two centuries after slavery was abolished, in a symbolic reckoning with a law that treated humans as propertyNews agencies|French lawmakers voted unanimously Thursday to repeal the Code Noir, the 1685 royal decree that regulated slavery in France’s colonies and also ordered the expulsion of Jews from the islands under French rule.The National Assembly approved the bill 254-0, in a symbolic move nearly two centuries after France abolished slavery in 1848. Although the Code Noir had long lost legal force, it had never been formally repealed.1 View gallery Painting of slaves arriving in the Caribbean (Photo: Shutterstock)Signed by King Louis XIV, the decree governed enslaved people across French colonial territories, defining them as property, restricting their movement and rights, and setting brutal punishments for those who fled. Its first article also ordered French officials to remove all Jews from the colonies, describing them as “declared enemies of Christianity” and giving them three months to leave or risk confiscation of their persons and property.Supporters of the repeal said the vote was an overdue act of historical reckoning.Steevy Gustave, a lawmaker descended from enslaved Martinicans, told colleagues the repeal was necessary, though “no vote alone can repair centuries of shattered lives.”“We are not descendants of slaves,” he said, breaking down in tears. “We are descendants of human beings born free, then reduced to slavery.”President Emmanuel Macron said last week that the Code Noir “should never have survived the abolition of slavery” and called France’s long silence over the decree “a form of offense.” He also raised the issue of reparations for slavery, though without committing to specific payments.France ran one of the world’s largest slave trades, transporting about 1.4 million Africans to plantations in its colonies. The wealth produced by slavery helped build French port cities such as Nantes and Bordeaux.For lawmakers from France’s overseas territories, where many residents are descendants of enslaved people, the repeal carries deep symbolic weight. Max Mathiasin, the Guadeloupe lawmaker who sponsored the bill, said he was shocked to discover the decree had never been formally annulled.“This was made by human beings against human beings,” he said.Critics said the repeal must be followed by action against racism and inequality, especially in France’s overseas departments, which remain among the country’s poorest territories.Comments