King Louis XIV

French Parliament's National Assembly voted unanimously (254-0) to repeal the 1685 Code Noir, a colonial decree that governed slaves and classified them as property. The bill removes this historical legislation from the legal framework.

France is set to repeal the Code Noir, a 17th-century colonial law that classified enslaved people as property, nearly two centuries after slavery was abolished. The law, signed by King Louis XIV, remained unannulled despite its dehumanizing provisions, prompting public outrage and calls for historical reckoning.