BBC calls Alfred Dreyfus a ‘notorious Jewish spy’ in description of drama
Broadcaster said it was 'not intended as an historical statement, but to reflect the rumours towards the Dreyfus case in the drama - which also depicts the rise of antisemitism'
The BBC has changed the description of a programme which labelled Alfred Dreyfus, a soldier wrongly convicted of treason, as a “notorious Jewish spy”.
Complaints were made about the new BBC Four French historical crime drama Paris Police 1900 this week, including from the head of Holocaust Educational Trust and Jewish actress, Tracey Anne Oberman.
The programme is set against the backdrop of rumours that Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer wrongly convicted of spying, had been released from Devil’s Island, where was sent after being found guilty.
HET’s Karen Pollock tweeted: “I don’t understand how these things aren’t checked and somehow get through”.
The BBC confirmed it had changed the description of him as a “notorious Jewish spy” on iPlayer, and a spokesperson said: “The sentence was not intended as an historical statement, but to reflect the rumours towards the Dreyfus case that we see in the drama – which also depicts the rise of antisemitism.”
It was created by graphic novelist Fabien Nury, and is inspired by real-life events and delves into the dark side of the French capital.
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