Overview

• On June 2, 2025, the National Assembly unanimously approved legislation to posthumously promote Alfred Dreyfus to brigadier general.
• The bill, spearheaded by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and mirrored by senators led by Patrick Kanner, seeks to restore the rank Dreyfus would have reached without his wrongful imprisonment.
• Supporters call the measure an act of historical reparation and a reaffirmation of France’s commitment to combating antisemitism.
• After lower house approval, the proposal moves next to the Senate for debate on a date yet to be scheduled.
• Dreyfus was convicted of treason in 1894 and exonerated by the high court of appeal in 1906, later serving in World War I, and his legacy gains new resonance during a recent surge in antisemitic incidents in France.