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Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Alfred Dreyfus to be promoted 130 years after treason conviction
Alfred Dreyfus is to be posthumously promoted 130 years after he was wrongly convicted of treason. France's parliament on Monday unanimously backed a bill giving him the rank of brigadier general in a final 'act of reparation' for one of the most notorious acts of anti-Semitism in the country's history. Dreyfus, a 36-year-old Jewish army captain from the Alsace region of eastern France, was accused in October 1894 of passing secret information on new artillery equipment to the German military attaché. Despite a lack of evidence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana - later to feature in the book and film Papillon, starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman - and publicly stripped of his rank. Parliament's backing of the highly symbolic bill, which will be ratified by the senate at a later date, comes amid a surge of anti-Semitism in France following the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. The Representative Council of the Jewish Institutions of France registered 1,570 anti-Semitic acts last year, after 1,676 in 2023. In 2022 the figure was 436. In recent days, several Jewish and Israeli establishments in Paris, including a Holocaust memorial, were defaced with green paint. Gabriel Attal, the former prime minister who tabled the bill, said that the new law could not have come at a more important time. 'The anti-Semitism that targeted Alfred Dreyfus is not in the distant past,' he said, adding: 'Today's acts of hatred remind us that the fight is still ongoing'. 'Promoting Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general would constitute an act of reparation, a recognition of his merits, and a tribute to his commitment to the Republic,' Mr Attal said. Just before the vote and in the presence of the Dreyfus family, Patricia Mirallès, the remembrance and veterans minister, said: ' Anti-Semitism is still striking in our democracy... this hatred must be fought resolutely.' The accusation against Dreyfus was based on a comparison of handwriting on a document found in the German attaché's waste paper basket. In 1894, he was put on trial, amid a virulent anti-Semitic press campaign that split France, and ultimately he was sent to rot on Devil's Island. But Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, head of the intelligence services, secretly re-investigated the case and discovered the writing 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 was kicked out of the military and jailed for a year, while Esterhazy was acquitted. That gave rise to writer Emile Zola's famous 'J'accuse' pamphlet to Felix Faure, the then French president, in which he slammed a 'terrifying judicial error' amid 'the hunt for 'dirty Jews' that is soiling our time'. A campaign to free him split the country between Dreyfusards, led by Zola, and anti-Dreyfusards such as Maurice Barrès, the far-Right political leader. Finally, in June 1899, Dreyfus was brought back to France, found guilty a second time, and sentenced to 10 years in prison, before being officially pardoned, though not cleared of the charges. Only in 1906, after many twists, did the High Court of Appeal overturn the original verdict, exonerating him. However, he was reinstated with the rank of chef d'escadron (major), a downgrade for an officer who had seemed destined for the highest posts until his wrongful conviction. Dreyfus left the army in 1907, but later signed up again when war with Germany broke out in 1914, and fought at Verdun. He died in 1935, aged 76. In April, Pierre Moscovici, the first president of France's Court of Audits; Frédéric Salat-Baroux, a prominent lawyer; and Louis Gautier, chairman of the Dreyfus Museum, signed an open letter calling for Dreyfus to be made a brigadier general. France was still blighted by anti-Semitism and the posthumous promotion was all the more important because 'part of the Left … is operating a terrible return to the past', they argued. Several dozen centrist Democratic MPs later warned the bill 'should not be used to buy a badge of honour' by parties with condemnable past or present stances on anti-Semitism, pointing the finger at Jean-Luc Mélenchon's Leftist France Unbowed (LFI) and Marine Le Pen's radical-Right National Rally (RN). 'It is in my family that we are descended from Dreyfusards, not in yours,' hit back LFI deputy Gabriel Amard, who condemned the 'double discourse of the RN' where, according to him, 'anti-Semitic remarks and behaviour are still rampant'. Hailing the law as 'fundamental for the Republic', Charles Sitzenstuhl, an MP from Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party in Alsace and rapporteur of the bill, joined calls for D reyfus to be interred in the Pantheon, France's temple to its great and good. Critics, including prime minister François Bayrou, argue that the Pantheon is for the country's 'heroes, not its victims', but others say the decade he spent in solitary confinement and his commitment to the French army proved otherwise. 'Dreyfus is a model of resistance and heroism for the nation. He is an example for younger generations, a great man,' said Mr Sitzenstuhl.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
DC police to increase presence at religious institutions after Colorado terrorist attack
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will be increasing its presence around religious institutions, particularly Jewish institutions, in response to an terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday. According to the Associated Press, six people were injured after a man used a makeshift flamethrower at an outdoor mall while shouting 'Free Palestine,' which has been classified by the FBI as a terrorist attack. 'Act of terrorism': DMV, world leaders react to fatal shooting of couple working at Israeli embassy in DC MPD says they are coordinating with local, state, and federal law enforcement to ensure the safety of those in the District and that there are 'no known threats' at this time. Police released a statement on the incident, 'The Metropolitan Police Department is closely monitoring the events that unfolded this afternoon in Boulder, Colorado. We are actively coordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to share information and monitor intelligence in order to help safeguard residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia. At this time, there are no known threats to the District. However, MPD has maintained an increased presence at religious institutions across the city, with particular attention to Jewish institutions. We continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and help keep our community safe. If you See Something, Say Something. For emergencies or immediate threats, call 911. To report suspicious activity, contact MPD's Real Time Crime Center at 202-727-9099, text 50411, or submit a report online at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
