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last mo.

French PM Bayrou Calls for National Reckoning with Slavery at Brest Ceremony

Marking the 10th anniversary of the 'Mémoires' monument, Bayrou announces a national memory-site label and addresses France's colonial legacy, including solidarity with Haiti.

À Brest, François Bayrou dépose une gerbe devant une sculpture dédiée à la mémoire de l'esclavage
À Brest, François Bayrou dépose une gerbe devant une sculpture dédiée à la mémoire de l'esclavage

Overview

  • Prime Minister François Bayrou delivered a speech in Brest on France's national day of memory for the slave trade, slavery, and abolition, commemorating the 'Mémoires' statue's 10th anniversary.
  • Bayrou emphasized the need for France to confront its history of slavery by naming, quantifying, and analyzing the suffering of approximately four million enslaved individuals in French colonies from 1625 to 1848.
  • He announced plans to establish an official label to unify sites of slavery remembrance across France, including overseas territories and locations tied to abolition efforts.
  • Bayrou sent a message of solidarity to Haiti, referencing France's 'double debt' from the indemnities imposed on Haiti after its independence and calling for a truth-based reckoning with this history.
  • The 'Mémoires' sculpture, designed by Marc Morvan and envisioned by Max Relouzat, serves as a symbol of collective memory, funded largely by citizen contributions after initial local resistance.