(Giant crowd gathered at Palais de Justice. Theodor Herzl dictates account of the crowd to servant. Lots of crowd noise and occasional chants of “Vive Dreyfus!” “Vive la liberte!” “Liberte, egalite, fraternite!” “a bas l’antisemitisme!”)
Herzl: Ja, schreib das auf Daniel. Das is Theodor Herzl reporting zu you live from der palais de justice in Paris. Die Dreyfusards are out in force heute as ein demonstration im support of ze Colonel Alfred Dreyfus whose zole crime is to have been a Jew in ein army which requires a scapegoat to absolve der real spy, Walsin Esterhazy. Zie Esterhazys are not commonly known in France for being die second most powerful familie in Das Austro-Hungarian Reich, aber die French military knows very well who ze Esterhazy family is. Sie know der grosse preis of imprisoning an Esterhazy, vich is vy die Deutschen recruited him as ihr spy. Andererseits, Dreyfus is ein military man who is also a Jew from Alsace und therefore immer considered a potential fifth column. Er has no close freunds, und is thought by many to only have a career due to influence of sein vater, Leopold Louis-Dreyfus, und ja, Herr Louis-Dreyfus is ze direkt ancestor of Elaine von Seinfeld. It seems zu have been widely hoped by das Militar zat Dreyfus vurde commit zuicide. Aber de same distanz which macht Dreyfus zo unliked has giben him eine strong constitution. After five jahrs, mostly in solitary confinement, Dreyfus is sustained by love of his Vaterland. Er believes himself a Franzoze, not a Jude, und zu be prosecuted by die militair is die grosste humiliation. Ve now go live to ze front of ze palais de justice zu hore was France’s most famous writer Emile Zola has to say about ze case of Herr Dreyfus…. Hast du das geschrieben Daniel?... Daniel?... Daniel did you write all that!
Daniel: Entschuldig mir Herr Herzl, my pen was out of ink.
(giant cheer)
Zola: J’accuse! (huge cheer and applause. Lasts 15 seconds)
Phillippe: Is that his whole speech?
Guillaume: I don't know.
Phillippe: France's greatest writer....
J’accuse Lt. Col. du Paty de Clam of being the diabolical creator of this miscarriage of justice - unwittingly, I would like to believe - and of defending this sorry deed, over the last three years, by all manner of ludricrous and evil machinations.
(applause and cheers)
J’accuse General Mercier of complicity, at least by mental weakness, in one of the greatest inequities of the century.
(applause and cheers)
J’accuse General Billot of having held in his hands absolute proof of Dreyfus’s innocence and covering it up, and making himself guilty of this crime against mankind and justice, as a political expedient and a way for the compromised General Staff to save face.
(applause and cheers)
J’accuse Gen. de Boisdeffre and Gen. Gonse of complicity in the same crime,.... (volume turned down and the rest done in the background)
the former, no doubt, out of religious prejudice, the latter perhaps out of that esprit de corps that has transformed the War Office into an unassailable holy ark.
(applause and cheers)
Phillppe: This is all a little trop isn’t it?
Guillaume: Je ne sais pas. If it’s true I think he’s making points worth making.
Zola: J’accuse Gen. de Pellieux and Major Ravary of conducting a villainous enquiry, by which I mean a monstrously biased one, as attested by the latter in a report that is an imperishable monument to naïve impudence.
Phillippe: He’s just so condescending to anyone who disagrees.
Guillaume: If you believe his evidence wouldn’t you be angry at people who disbelieved him?
Zola: J’accuse the three handwriting experts, Messrs. Belhomme, Varinard and Couard, of submitting reports that were deceitful and fraudulent, unless a medical examination finds them to be suffering from a condition that impairs their eyesight and judgement.
Phillippe: Je suis desole he’s just so full of himself!
Guillaume: D’accord! He’s Emile fiching Zola! Est-ce nouvelle?
Zola: J’accuse the War Office of using the press, particularly L’Eclair and L’Echo de Paris, to conduct an abominable campaign to mislead the general public and cover up their own wrongdoing.
Phillipe: I’m sorry I can’t listen to this merde any longer.
Guilaume: S’il te plait Guillaume it’s probably almost over.
Zola: Finally, J’accuse the first court martial of violating the law by convicting the accused on the basis of a document that was kept secret, and I accuse the second court martial of covering up this illegality, on orders, thus committing the judicial crime of knowingly acquitting a guilty man.
Phillippe: We’re just supposed to believe this because he says so?! Bien sur all the fashionable people believe what Emile Zola tells them because they hate all the Francais who are not them!
Guillaume: But they hate us!
(conversation from here on over Emile Zola’s speech)
Phillippe: They hate us because we hate them!
Rachel (from a distance): Guillaume! Phillippe!
Guillaume: Rachel!
Phillippe: Ah, Rachel…
(comes over to them)
Rachel: It’s so nice to see you Phillippe! I’m so heureux you’re here supporting Colonel Dreyfus!
Phillippe: (dripping with sarcasm) Anything for la justice ma cherie.
Rachel: (doesn’t understand the sarcasm) I so wish there were other gentiles as committed to justice as you.
Phillippe: It is the cause to which I’ve devoted my life….
Rachel: Guillaume told me you would be a true ami. I now see that you’re an ally too.
Phillippe: Vraiment truth is everything.... La verite is everything la revolution fought for, and everything we are defending….
Guillaume: Pardon but I’m pretty sure they fought for liberte, egalite, fraternite…
Phillippe: (cutting him off) LA VERITE GUILLAUME! Ma cherie I see your fiancee is not as committed to la justice as we are!
Rachel: Guillaume is a very sweet man, Je suis sur he will understand l’importance d’equality very soon. Helas I must join up with ma mere. It is so nice to see you ici, Guillaume I will see you et ta mere tonight for drinks apres le diner?
Guillaume: Evidement.
Phillippe: Guillaume you did not tell me you were going to the Blochs!
Rachel: He is. S’il te plait Guillaume, I know you must go back to Orleans in a few days but would you do us the honor of joining?
Phillippe: It would be le plus grande honeur of my life.
Rachel: Merveilleuse! Je suis so excited! Au revoir!
Guillaume: Adieu Rachel! (concurrently) A ce soir!
(Rachel leaves)
Phillippe: I thought les Juifs were famous for their irony.
Guillaume: I told you, Rachel is not a typical Jew.
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