Macron calls for 'constant vigilance' against antisemitism as France honors Alfred Dreyfus

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called for constant vigilance against antisemitism while inaugurating a statue honoring Captain Alfred Dreyfus. ‘The old demons of antisemitism have never completely disappeared from our country,’ Macron said at the ceremony held at the Court of Cassation in Paris.

The event marked 120 years since Dreyfus's exoneration on July 12, 1906. Macron declared July 12 a national day of commemoration of Dreyfus's innocence. Dreyfus, a Jewish officer, was wrongfully convicted of treason in 1894 and sentenced to life imprisonment. After prominent intellectuals like Emile Zola took up his cause, he was cleared of all charges. He later rejoined the army and served in World War I, dying in 1935.

Hours before the ceremony, police evacuated some 300 people from the Paris suburb of Sarcelles after a suspicious vehicle containing a military weapon was found near a synagogue. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the weapon as a ‘long military weapon’ and said it was unclear if it was intended to target the Jewish community. Prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation.

France is home to Europe's largest Jewish population and has seen a surge in antisemitic acts, including threats, vandalism, and physical violence, since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Dreyfus's 99-year-old grandson Charles, who attended the ceremony, expressed sadness at the resurgence of antisemitism but also joy at seeing his grandfather's statue erected outside the Palace of Justice. The statue depicts Dreyfus proudly wielding a broken sword.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner have previously accused Macron of further fueling antisemitism by deciding to recognize Palestine last year.