BBC Four is televising a new series called Paris Police 1900, a Parisian period piece set at the turn of the 20th century. The first episode deals with Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish French artillery officer convicted of being a spy, despite the evidence in favor of his innocence. Dreyfus was later exonerated, but not before the affair precipitated numerous antisemitic demonstrations, ultimately leading to Theodor Herzl to conclude that the Jews must leave Europe and establish their own state.
This is how the episode 1 synopsis of Paris Police 1900 appeared on the BBC website:
Note how they describe him as “the notorious Jewish spy,” despite the fact he was not a spy at all.
BBC have since corrected the “mistake”:
Even though I am a Zionist, I see the irony in the BBC repeating the very same antisemitic accusation against Alfred Dreyfus, that he was subject to in his lifetime, an accusation that in many ways was a catalyst for the Zionist movement. Even though a certain modern-day antisemite might suggest I am incapable of seeing such irony.
Hat tip: Honest Reporting
