Uh, I think you're a little late

So looking over the list of things that happened on this date in history, I came upon this little gem.  On May 21, 2001 a French law proposed by Christiane Taubira of the French National Assembly (she's now Minister of Justice, btw) passed.  This law, a masterpiece of timing, and one which addressed a matter of highest national security, "recognizes the slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity."

"Whew", he said, wiping sweat off his fevered brow.  "I'm sure glad we cleared that up!  Heaven forfend that we don't acknowledge something as a crime, when it hasn't been relevant for 200 years!"

Seriously, what is the point?  When this law was passed, the Atlantic slave trade had been gone for the better part of two centuries.  Why?  Because Great Britain decided in 1807 that the slave trade was A Bad Thing.  The US signed on board with the idea, and Britain used diplomacy to push other countries to follow suit.  Oh, and used the Royal Navy to stop it, by seizing slave ships, freeing the slaves, and threatening the crew with treatment as pirates.

Sounds kinda like they had figured out that slavery was a crime against humanity, no? 

I would mention here that, according to the Wikipedia article in front of me, there's nothing saying that France was on board with the movement.  Just sayin'.

I would also ask if the 2001 law also went after the Arab countries which were engaged in the slave trade, but well… we all know he answer to that. 

So what exactly did the law accomplish?  Darned if I know! But it was a nice chance for an African born politician to make a silly point.  And avoid dealing with actual problems, of which France has many.

So yeah, good way to be obvious, and make a meaningless gesture.  Too bad France didn't have the guts to declare slavery A Bad Thing when it mattered.