Overview

• A group of French parliamentarians, led by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, has introduced bills to promote Alfred Dreyfus, 130 years after his wrongful conviction for treason.
• The proposed promotion to brigadier general is framed as an act of reparation and a statement against persisting antisemitism in French society.
• Dreyfus, a Jewish army captain, was falsely accused of espionage in 1894, convicted, and exiled to Devil’s Island, before being exonerated in 1906.
• The initiative comes in response to a recent surge in antisemitic incidents in France, particularly following the October 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict.
• No date has been set for a parliamentary vote on the proposal, which has garnered support from dozens of lawmakers.