Jules Gustave Durand

French anarchist, revolutionary syndicalist and secretary of the Syndicat des Charbonniers in Le Harve. Durand was an initiator of the French general strike of 1910, and was wrongly charged with the murder of a blackleg in a brawl in a case called at the time the 'affaire Dreyfus du pauvre' (Dreyfus affair of the poor) or the 'affaire Dreyfus du monde ouvrier' (.. of the workers). On the back of a series of corrupt witnesses and a hate campaign by the press, he was sentenced to death on November 25, 1910. In a tremendous show of solidarity against this injustice protests and strikes closed the docks at Le Harve and spread across the channel to English ports and to some American ports. After further protests spearheaded by the League of Human Rights, he was released on February 15, 1911. Sadly, due to his inhumane treatment and spending 40 days restrained in a straightjacket he suffered a complete mental breakdown and spent the rest of his days in an asylum where he died in 1926. His case was re-opened and his name was cleared and on June 15, 1918, it was stated that he had been completely innocent of the charge.