France: The National Assembly finally repeals the Code Noir, 178 years after the abolition of slavery
France's National Assembly unanimously abolished the 1685 Black Code on 28 May 2026—178 years after slavery's abolition. This "ghost text" had legally reduced humans to property. CAP LC Vice-President Christine Mirre, whose family in Guadeloupe endured this regime, analyzes the vote's symbolism. While welcomed, the act avoids reparations and follows France's abstention on a UN slavery resolution. The article examines historical paradoxes, overseas reactions, political contradictions, and the unresolved demand for justice beyond symbolic gestures.
