Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935)

French lawmakers have unanimously supported a proposal to posthumously promote the Jewish army captain to brigadier general – a rank he was denied during his lifetime.

Gabriel Attal, the former prime minister who introduced the bill, described it as “an act of reparation, a recognition of his merits, and a tribute to his commitment to the republic”. Writing last month, Mr Attal recalled how Dreyfus was “accused, humiliated and condemned because he was Jewish”, stripped of his rank, and exiled to Devil’s Island, the infamous penal colony in French Guiana.

The case that convulsed France began in 1894, when a torn military document was discovered in the German embassy. Dreyfus, a 36-year-old captain from Alsace, was wrongly identified as the author. As MP Charles Sitzenstuhl told a parliamentary committee, the accusation stemmed from “the antisemitism of a section of the military leadership at the time”, coupled with envy of Dreyfus’s abilities and fuelled by nationalist press campaigns. No solid evidence was presented at trial, yet Dreyfus was convicted, publicly degraded, and sentenced to life on Devil’s Island.

It was only after handwriting analysis implicated another officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, that efforts to reopen the case gained momentum. Yet when the new evidence was presented, military officials turned on the intelligence chief who uncovered it, jailing him while clearing Esterhazy.

Support for Dreyfus grew, most notably through Émile Zola’s open letter J’accuse, which condemned the injustice and propelled the case into the national spotlight. The affair polarised French society between the anti-Dreyfusards, who maintained his guilt, and the Dreyfusards, who fought to clear his name.

A second trial in 1899 ended in another conviction, though Dreyfus was quickly pardoned. Not until 1906 was his name formally cleared and his rank restored. He was promoted to major and served in the First World War before his death in 1935, aged 75.

The bill advanced this week reflects years of political debate over how best to honour Dreyfus. “The bill before you is the result of a unique legislative approach aimed at resolving a unique situation,” Mr Sitzenstuhl told the National Assembly’s Defence Committee. He also proposed entombing Dreyfus in the Panthéon, the final resting place of France’s most revered figures.

Beyond the individual recognition, the legislation also serves as a broader statement against antisemitism. It warns that “the antisemitism that struck Alfred Dreyfus is not a thing of the past”. Official figures show hate crimes in France rose by 11 per cent last year, including racist and antireligious offences.

The proposal now moves to the Senate for debate.