The Pantheon: A ceremony at the time of the 170e birthday of the abolition of slavery

It is the first time that Emmanuel Macron chaired a ceremony on this subject, from the presidential campaign where it had qualified the colonization of “crime against humanity”.

The president commemorates each year this major transformation for the human rights, of 1848. The ceremony proceeds since 2007 in the Luxembourg Gardens, in Paris, on May 10th, dates to which the “Law Taubira”, recognizing slavery like a crime against humanity, had been definitively adopted.

The ceremony is held this year on April 27th, dates to which the government of the French Republic had published a decree officially abolishing slavery in the French colonies. The Pantheon was also chosen by Emmanuel Macron, in particular since it shelters fall it from the one of the most enthusiastic defenders of abolition, Victor Schœlcher.

At the time of the 170e birthday of the abolition of slavery this Friday, Emmanuel Macron announced on Facebook the creation of a “Foundation for the memory of slavery” for “this year”. It will be chaired by the ex–First socialist minister Jean–Marc Ayrault, announced in 2016 by his predecessor François Hollande, “would be created this year”.

Chaired by the former First socialist minister Jean–Marc Ayrault, it “will be placed with the Hotel of the Navy where the abolition of slavery was issued on April 27th, 1848” by Victor Schoelcher specified the Head of the State during the ceremony of the 170e birthday of the abolition of slavery in the French colonies in the Pantheon.

This foundation “will be equipped with human and financial but so scientific means, to carry out missions of education, culture, support for research and the local projects”.

“The Foundation will also help to replace slavery in the long time of the French history, of the first French colonial empire at our days because it is impossible to speak about France about today without speaking of its colonial past”, Emmanuel Macron added, who sees in this foundation the occasion “to carry everywhere the commitment of France for freedom because slavery did not disappear and there remain still today abolitions to be gained”.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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