Gabriel Attal chaired the ceremony commemorating the abolition of slavery on Friday May 10 in La Rochelle, announcing a “major national exhibition” in 2026 and saluting the “spirit of resistance” of former slaves. With slavery, “it is the boundaries of humanity that are reached, exceeded.” “This story is part of the history of the world, of Europe, of France. It was written in Versailles, in Paris, in the ports of La Rochelle, Nantes, Bordeaux,” declared the Prime Minister during a speech.
“For too long, a veil has been cast over this past.” “Recognizing this is not weakening, on the contrary, it is growing,” he also declared. “As long as there was slavery, there was resistance (…) On this May 10, it is also this spirit of resistance that I want to salute. » This annual ceremony took place for the first time in France outside Paris, in La Rochelle.
Previously, the Clarisse statue by the Haitian artist Filipo was unveiled, on Allée Aimé-Césaire, named after a slave bought in Santo Domingo and freed by the city’s general council in 1793.
A specific label for places of memory of slavery
The Prime Minister said he hoped that a “major national exhibition on the memory of slavery could be held in 2026, for the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the law on the recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity “.
He also announced the upcoming creation of a specific label for places of memory of slavery, requested by communities. “Everyone will know, everyone will see, by walking our streets and our towns, the places where the history of slavery was written. Everyone will be able to remember better, understand better. »
“Because we look history in the face, because we want to make it known, we will continue to fight the battle for education,” also declared the Prime Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of Education, Nicole Belloubet .
