The J'accuse letter
Alfred Dreyfus (1859 - 1935)
Émile Zola (1840 - 1902)
January 13th 1898: ‘J’accuse’ letter
On this day in 1898, French writer Émile Zola’s ‘J’accuse’ letter was printed, exposing the miscarriage of the justice in the Dreyfus affair. Zola was a prominent author, well-known for his short stories and novels, and his letter sparked national outrage. Published as a newspaper editorial in L’Aurore, the letter exposed the unlawful conviction of French army captain Alfred Dreyfus for espionage and treason. Dreyfus, of Jewish descent, was found guilty of selling military secrets to the Germans by a military court and sentenced to life imprisonment on a South American penal colony. However, subsequent evidence proving his innocence and implicating officer Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy was covered up by the military, with Walsin Esterhazy exonerated. The case had exposed the virulence of French anti-Semitism, as military officials and members of the public readily accepted Dreyfus’s guilt, considering his alleged crime indicative of Jews’ disloyalty. Zola’s letter, a response to Walsin Esterhazy’s acquittal, led to his arrest for libel, though he fled France to avoid a prison sentence. The debate came to embody divergent visions of France’s national identity, with those against Dreyfus arguing his defenders sought to undermine France. On the other hand, Dreyfus’s supporters raised the pertinent question of the extent personal freedoms can be subordinated in the interests of national security. Steadily, Dreyfus’s supporters gained traction, as evidence came to light that key evidence had been forged. Desperate to restore order, the French president pardoned Dreyfus in September 1899, though he was not legally exonerated until 1906. The French military only conceded Dreyfus’s innocence in 1995. Zola’s ‘j’accuse’ has entered the popular lexicon, and the Dreyfus affair has become synonymous with anti-Semitism and the miscarriage of justice. The crisis also had the practical effect of leading to a radical ascendancy in the French government, which shaped French politics for decades to come.
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