L'Affaire Dreyfus commemorated

French President Jacques Chirac has led a ceremony marking the centenary of the rehabilitation of the Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus.

The case triggered a national crisis in France in 1895, when the captain was convicted of treason on trumped-up spying charges.

Mr Chirac said his rehabilitation was a rejection of anti-Semitism and a victory for human rights. . .

Relatives of Alfred Dreyfus attended the ceremony, along with relatives of the novelist Emile Zola, who campaigned on behalf of the captain.

From the BBC. Background on the Dreyfus Affair here and here.

Posted by David on July 12, 2006 1:53 PM