President Emmanuel Macron has endorsed the symbolic repeal of royal decrees that governed slavery in French colonies, as France confronts its history and the sensitive issue of reparations.
Macron, whose second and final five-year term ends next year, called for a formal dialogue on how France should respond to the enduring legacy of slavery.
He said the issue of reparations should be addressed but warned against making 'false promises.'
France abolished slavery more than a century ago, but royal decrees from the 17th and 18th centuries that established the legal status of enslaved people in its colonies were never formally overturned.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the landmark legislation at the Elysee presidential palace, Macron said the continued existence of the royal decrees was a 'form of offence' and 'a betrayal of what the Republic stands for.'
Macron also said that the 'immense question' of reparations must not be avoided, but warned that 'we must have the honesty to say that we can never fully repair this crime, because it is impossible.'
