Justice Minister Christiane Taubira has called on the French government to consider ways to redistribute land in its Caribbean overseas territories to favour the descendants of slaves, just two days after President François Hollande ruled out reparations for France’s role in the colonial-era slave trade, reports France 24.
“In the overseas territories there was a land grab, the general result was that the descendents of slaves were left without access to land. Therefore we should think about – without sparking a civil war – regrouping properties that were divided and about land reform,” Taubira said in an interview published in the Journal de Dimanche weekly on Sunday.
“There are steps that should be taken, without expropriations, and clearly explaining the reason behind the state’s push to purchase land,” Taubira added.
But on Sunday the CRAN welcomed Taubira’s announcement, saying land reform was another important way France could atone for its past mistakes.
“I am overjoyed to hear of Mrs. Taubira’s announcement,” CRAN president Luis-Georges Tin told FRANCE 24. “It’s clear that Mr. Hollande is an uncomfortable position. He is coming off as a man who turns people away, who tells the victims of slavery ‘too bad’.”
Read more of this report from France 24.