French President Emmanuel Macron marked the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in France on Thursday with a tribute to ex-slave Toussaint Louverture, father of Haiti's independence and a "tireless fighter" for freedom, the Elysée presidential palace announced.
Macron paid tribute to General Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803) at the Château de Joux, where the Franco-Haitian general was imprisoned until his death, laying a wreath in front of a bust of Louverture before giving a speech.
Louverture inspired millions to seek freedom after he and other Black leaders from the French-held territory of Saint-Domingue in present-day Haiti successfully defeated their colonial oppressors.
Click on the video player above to watch the full speech.
