Macron endorsed a symbolic repeal of royal decrees that governed slavery in French colonies, saying their continued existence is offensive and betrays the Republic’s values. France abolished slavery over a century ago, but legal status rules from the 17th and 18th centuries were never formally overturned. In 2001, France recognized slavery and the slave trade as crimes against humanity, without providing reparations. Lawmakers supported a bill to repeal the decrees, which now requires votes in both houses. Macron called reparations an “immense question” that must not be avoided, while warning against false promises and stating that the crime cannot be fully repaired or quantified.
"Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the landmark legislation at the Elysee presidential palace on Thursday, Macron said the continued existence of the royal decrees was a "form of offence" and "a betrayal of what the Republic stands for". "That is why I am asking the government to take up the bill aimed at repealing the ," Macron said. On Wednesday, lawmakers on the National Assembly's law committee backed the bill, which now needs to go to a vote in both houses."
"Macron also said that the "immense question" of reparations must not be avoided. "But it is also a question on which we must not make false promises," he warned. "We must have the honesty to say that we can never fully repair this crime, because it is impossible. You will never one day be able to put a number on it, or find words that would bring this history to a close.""
"France abolished slavery more than a century ago but royal decrees from the 17th and 18 centuries that established the legal status of enslaved people in its colonies were never formally overturned. In 2001, France became the first country in the world to recognise slavery and the slave trade as "crimes against humanity" but stopped short of any reparations."
Read at The Local France
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]