Zürcher Nachrichten - France promotes Jewish soldier Dreyfus - 130 years after scandal

The law is seen as a symbolic step in the fight against antisemitism in modern France, at a time of growing alarm over hate crimes targeting Jews in the country in the context of the Gaza war.

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu signed the promotion into law on Monday, and it was published in the so-called Official Journal of new legislation on Tuesday.

"The French nation posthumously promotes Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general," the law reads.

Parliament's lower house unanimously approved the legislation in June, and the Senate backed it earlier this month.

Dreyfus, a 36-year-old army captain from the Alsace region of eastern France, was accused in October 1894 of passing secret information on new artillery equipment to a German military attache.

The accusation, based on a comparison of handwriting on a document found in the German's wastepaper basket in Paris, kicked off what would become known as the "Dreyfus affair".

Dreyfus was put on trial amid a virulent antisemitic press campaign. But novelist Emile Zola then penned his famous "J'accuse...!" ("I accuse") pamphlet in support of the captain.

Despite a lack of evidence, Dreyfus was convicted of treason, sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana and publicly stripped of his rank.

But Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, head of the intelligence services, reinvestigated the case in secret and discovered the handwriting on the incriminating message was that of another officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy.

When Picquart presented the evidence to the general staff of the French army, he himself was driven out of the military and jailed for a year, while Esterhazy was acquitted.

In June 1899, Dreyfus was brought back to France for a second trial. He was initially found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison, before being officially pardoned -- though not cleared of the charges.

- Decorated veteran -

Only in 1906, after many twists, did the high court of appeal overturn the original verdict, exonerating Dreyfus.

He was reinstated with the rank of major and decorated with a Legion d'Honneur award.

He served during World War I and died in 1935, aged 76.

Those who pushed for the law believe that if Dreyfus had been able to pursue his career under normal circumstances, he would have risen to the top of the French army.

France is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, as well as one of the largest Muslim communities in the European Union.

There has been a rise in reported attacks against members of France's Jewish community since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Israeli military responded with a devastating military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

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M.Hug--NZN