France Promotes Dreyfus After 130 Years

Alfred Dreyfus was a French soldier. He was Jewish. In 1894, people said he gave secrets to Germany. This was not true.

Dreyfus worked in the French army. He was a captain. People found a letter with secrets. They said his writing was on the letter. It was not his writing.

Many people did not like Jewish people at that time. The newspapers wrote bad things about Dreyfus. A court said he was guilty. They sent him to a prison island. The prison was in French Guiana. It was very far away.

Dreyfus stayed in prison for years. Other people looked at the case again. They found the real person who wrote the letter. His name was Esterhazy. He was also a soldier.

A famous writer helped Dreyfus. His name was Emile Zola. Zola wrote a letter called "J'accuse." It means "I accuse" in English. Many people read it.

In 1906, a court said Dreyfus was not guilty. He came back to the army. He became a major. He fought in World War I. He died in 1935. He was 76 years old.

Now, France has made Dreyfus a general. This happened on Tuesday. The president and prime minister signed the law. They want to fix the mistake from 130 years ago.

France wants to fight against hate today too. Some people still attack Jewish people. The new law shows that France remembers what happened to Dreyfus.