France has finally voted to erase one of the darkest laws in its history.

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Paris : Nearly 200 years after abolishing slavery, France’s parliament has moved to repeal the ‘Code Noir’  or Black Code, a 1685 law created under King Louis XIV that governed slavery across French colonies.

The law treated enslaved Africans as property. They could be bought, sold, beaten, tortured, even killed. Those who tried to escape faced brutal punishments, including branding and mutilation.

And shockingly, the law technically remained on France’s books for centuries.

On Thursday, France’s National Assembly voted unanimously  254 to 0  to officially remove it from French law.

The debate turned emotional inside parliament.

Lawmaker Steevy Gustave, whose ancestors were enslaved in Martinique, broke down in tears while addressing lawmakers.

“We are not descendants of slaves,” he said. “We are descendants of human beings born free.”

French President Emmanuel Macron recently admitted that allowing the law to remain for so long was no longer just an oversight, but an offense.

Still, like previous French leaders, Macron stopped short of issuing a formal apology.

France operated the world’s third largest slave trade, transporting around 1.4 million Africans to colonies that helped build the wealth of cities like Nantes and Bordeaux.

For many, the repeal is symbolic but also a reminder that the legacy of slavery still shapes the present.

Pic Credit: AFP