'No place for antisemitism in the Republic': Will France posthumously promote Alfred Dreyfus 90 years after his death?

The French Embassy in Israel announced that the bill to posthumously promote Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier-general was unanimously approved by the National Assembly’s Defense and Armed Forces Committee on Wednesday morning.

“The French nation is committed to justice and does not forget. To right a wrong. To honor a soldier. To affirm that antisemitism – whether of the past or the present – has no place and will never have a place in the Republic,” read a post on 𝕏, published by the French Embassy in Israel. The bill is expected to go to a full vote in the National Assembly on June 2.

The initiative is led by former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, head of the liberal centrist bloc aligned with President Emmanuel Macron. According to Attal, the move sends a clear message as part of the fight against antisemitism.

Attal, who has Jewish roots, argued that had it not been for the public humiliation and years of exile, Dreyfus would have “naturally risen to the highest ranks.”

The Dreyfus Affair, which took place 126 years ago, symbolized the rise of French antisemitism and indirectly contributed to the founding of the Zionist movement and the State of Israel – this, 90 years after Dreyfus’ death and following his wrongful conviction for espionage on behalf of Germany.

The plot against Dreyfus shocked and reshaped the French Republic at the turn of the 20th century. The deeply divided nation split between Dreyfus supporters – who also championed progress – and his antisemitic, reactionary opponents. It was also the affair that convinced journalist Theodor Herzl of the urgent need for a Jewish state.

After serving his sentence on Devil’s Island and once the real traitor had been exposed, Dreyfus was retried in 1899 and was again found guilty – yet received a presidential pardon. It was only seven years later that he was fully exonerated.