French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the need for reparations in connection with France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on May 21. Macron said that reparations for enslavement crimes should no longer be ignored. He also warned against “false promises,” emphasizing that the legacy of enslavement could never be fully repaired because it was “impossible.” Macron backed the symbolic repeal of the never-abolished “Code Noir,” which were royal decrees from the 17th and 18th century that governed enslavement in French colonies. France was a top influential transatlantic slave-trading European nation . Macron’s remarks, made during a 25th anniversary commemoration of France’s law recognizing enslavement and the transatlantic slave trade as crimes against humanity , constituted a notable rhetorical shift by the French government. But Macron stopped short of specifying the kind of reparations that he envisions and whether financial redress will be part of it.…