Man in his 80s becomes first in France to formally apologise for family's slavery links

A man in his 80s on Saturday issued what is believed to be the first formal apology by someone in France for their family's role in transatlantic slavery, saying he hoped others – including the government – would follow.

Pierre Guillon de Prince's ancestors, based in Nantes, France's largest port for transatlantic slavery, were shipowners who transported around 4,500 enslaved Africans and owned plantations in the Caribbean.

Guillon de Prince said other French families must confront their historical ties to slavery and the state should go beyond symbolic gestures to address the past, including through reparations.

"Faced with the rise of racism in our society, I felt a responsibility not to let this past be erased," the 86-year-old said, adding he wanted to pass the family history on to his grandchildren.

He delivered the apology to a gathering in Nantes ahead of the inauguration of an 18-metre replica ship mast, alongside Dieudonné Boutrin, a descendant of enslaved people from the Caribbean island of Martinique.

The two work together at Coque Nomade-Fraternité, an association dedicated to "breaking the silence" around slavery, and said the mast would serve as a "beacon of humanity".

"Many families of descendants of slave traders don't dare speak out for fear of reopening old wounds and anger," said Boutrin, 61. "Pierre's apology is a courageous act."

From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were abducted and forcibly transported, mostly on European ships. France trafficked an estimated 1.3 million people.

Guillon de Prince's move follows similar formal apologies - which include commitments to help repair the harm caused by ancestors - by some families in Britain and elsewhere.

Calls for reparations grow

France recognised transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity in 2001 but, like most European countries, has never formally apologised for its role.

During his terms in office, President Emmanuel Macron has expanded access to archives on France's colonial past. Last year, he said he would establish a commission to examine France's history with Haiti, without mentioning reparations.

Calls for reparations - ranging from official apologies to financial compensation - are growing worldwide, even as critics argue states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical crimes.

Last month, France abstained at the United Nations from an Africa-led resolution declaring slavery the "gravest crime against humanity" and calling for reparations.