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France Parliament votes to repeal Code Noir slavery law of 1685
short by Soheib Ahsan / on Saturday, 30 May, 2026
The French Parliament's Lower House unanimously voted to repeal Code Noir, which allowed slaves to be treated as "movable property" and was passed by King Louis XIV in 1685. French President Emmanuel Macron said Code Noir "should never have survived the abolition of slavery" in 1848. Code Noir legalised branding, amputation or killing of slaves who tried to escape.