Macron Leads First State Commemoration for Dreyfus and Installs Long‑delayed Statue

Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron presided over a national ceremony that honored Alfred Dreyfus and brought together state officials and family, including his 99‑year‑old grandson Charles Dreyfus.
• A bronze statue by Louis Mittelberg long without a permanent site was installed facing the Cour de cassation to mark the 120th anniversary of the court's 1906 decision.
• Macron used the occasion to call for a vigilance “of all moments” against a resurgence of antisemitism and urged municipalities to put up plaques naming the Justes who sheltered Jews.
• The government recently presented a draft law to make elected officials ineligible if found guilty of very serious racist or antisemitic acts, a policy step that follows the symbolic gestures.
• Officials say antisemitic incidents reached 1,320 in 2025, and Sunday’s commemoration ties France’s long struggle over justice and memory to immediate questions about public safety and civic education.