French lawmakers in the lower house have unanimously voted to formally repeal the Code Noir, or Black Code. This series of royal edicts, which remained quietly in place for nearly two centuries after the abolition of slavery, defined the legal status of enslaved people as movable property and justified abuse and corporal punishment.
Although France abolished slavery in 1848 and recognized the slave trade as crimes against humanity in 2001, the Code Noir was never formally eliminated as a law. Historically, France was the third largest slave trader in Europe, after the British and the Portuguese.
The vote is seen as a significant step in addressing France's colonial past. However, the bill stopped short of including demands for reparations, despite the move reopening a debate around reparations in a country that has yet to fully come to terms with its history of colonialism.