A bas Biribi / Down with Biribi: Albert Aernoult and Émile Rousset, the "Dreyfus" affair of the workers 1909 - 1912

In pre-1914 France, the Aernoult-Rousset affair revealed the hellish conditions of the disciplinary battalions in Africa, where young, condemned workers suffered harassment, torture, and sometimes death. After Albert Aernoult died from beatings, soldier Émile Rousset dared to break the code of silence, but it was he who was condemned. An exceptional mobilization ensued: anarchists, trade unionists, intellectuals, and former Dreyfus supporters rose up against military justice. At a time when debates on authority, justice and institutional violence remain relevant, this forgotten case resonates with striking force. An essential book for understanding the price of courage, the strength of social struggles, and state violence in a Republic that aspired to be exemplary.