French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday declared July 12 a French day of national commemoration for Alfred Dreyfus, a French army captain wrongly convicted of treason in 1894 in a notorious act of antisemitism.
"From now on, there will be a commemoration ceremony every July 12 for Dreyfus, for the victory of justice and the truth against hatred and antisemitism," Macron said in a statement published by his office, 90 years after Dreyfus' death.
The first such day would be celebrated in 2026, the 120th anniversary of France's highest appeals court recognising Dreyfus's innocence, Macron said.
France needed to remain vigilant in the face of the "ancient spectre" of antisemitism, he said.
The scandal began in 1894 when Dreyfus, a Jewish army captain from Alsace, was accused of passing military secrets to Germany. The evidence was flimsy, the investigation tainted by prejudice and the trial a public spectacle, fuelled by a virulently anti-Semitic press.
Despite the lack of proof, Dreyfus was convicted of treason, publicly stripped of his rank and sentenced to life on the notorious Devil’s Island penal colony, off the coast of French Guiana.
The injustice of the Dreyfus Affair did not go unchallenged.
Dreyfus’s family, notably his brother Mathieu, launched a tireless campaign for his exoneration, enlisting the support of journalists and intellectuals.
The most famous intervention came from novelist Émile Zola, whose open letter “J’Accuse” in the 13 January, 1898 edition of newspaper l'Aurore accused the French military and government of a deliberate miscarriage of justice.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, the head of military intelligence, uncovered evidence that another officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, was the real traitor.
But instead of righting the wrong, the military doubled down – even jailing Picquart and acquitting Esterhazy.
Public outrage grew and the Dreyfus Affair became a national crisis, splitting France into "Dreyfusards"and "anti-Dreyfusards". The case exposed the dangers of institutional anti-Semitism and the fragility of justice in the face of prejudice and political expediency.
After years of struggle, Dreyfus was pardoned in 1899 and finally exonerated in 1906. He was re-instated to the army and later served in the First World War. He died on 12 July, 1935 at the age of 75.
Global impact
The impact of the Dreyfus Affair was immense, and it remains a touchstone for debates about justice, minority rights and the responsibilities of the state – and is now seen as a foundational episode in the modern fight against anti-Semitism.
In France, it led to reforms in military and judicial procedures. But the Dreyfus Affair also had global consequences, particularly for the Jewish people.
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Among those covering the trial in Paris was Theodor Herzl, a Viennese journalist writing for the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna.
Witnessing the depth of anti-Semitic hatred and the failure of assimilation as a safeguard, Herzl was galvanised to write Der Judenstaat (“The Jewish State”) in 1896. This foundational text of modern political Zionism argued that Jews could only have safety and dignity in a state of their own.
Herzl’s activism, including his lobbying through the nascent Zionist movement and later at the Jewish World Congress, helped set in motion the international efforts that would eventually lead to the Balfour Declaration in 1917 – a key step towards the creation of the State of Israel.
Posthumous promotion
Meanwhile, France’s National Assembly Defence Committee on 25 May unanimously approved a bill to posthumously promote Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general – a highly symbolic gesture intended to correct a historic injustice and honour his memory.
The law is the culmination of a long process, originally initiated by the Dreyfus family as early as 1906 and revived following a speech by President Jacques Chirac at the École Militaire on 12 July 2006.
This act could pave the way for further recognition – even inclusion in the Panthéon, France’s national mausoleum for distinguished citizens.
French MPs back promoting Jewish army captain 130 years after treason scandal
(with newswires)
