Man outrages France by lighting cigarette from memorial flame
The video of a man stooping and lighting up from the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, before walking calmly away watched by tourists, caused indignation when it was widely shared on social media.
"I am filing a case immediately with the Paris state prosecutors so that this man will be found and sanctions imposed to make an example of him," Patricia Miralles, minister for veterans and remembrance, wrote on X.
"You cannot ridicule French remembrance and get away with it," she added.
The tomb, under the giant arch at the top of the iconic Champs Elysees avenue, contains the remains of a soldier killed in WWI, laid there as a tribute to France's dead.
"This flame does not light a cigarette, it burns for the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers," said Ms Miralles.
"This is an insult to our dead, to our history and to our nation."
AFP was not able to determine the origin of the video.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Family of tragic Irish cyclist, 25, who was ‘electrocuted after falling onto Paris rail track' confirm funeral details
Tomas' club set up a fundraiser in his memory 'FOREVER MISSED' Family of tragic Irish cyclist, 25, who was 'electrocuted after falling onto Paris rail track' confirm funeral details FUNERAL details have been announced for a young Waterford cyclist who died suddenly in a Paris Metro Station. Tomas Walsh, who was just 25-years-old, was in France to watch the Tour de France when the incident occurred on Monday, July 21, 2025. 3 Tomas Walsh sadly died in Paris last month Credit: SOCIAL MEDIA COLLECT 3 The 25-year-old had travelled from Ireland to watch the Tour de France Credit: Social Media Collect It is believed that the cyclist, from Carriglea in Cheekpoint, Co Waterford, may have been electrocuted after falling on to the underground railway track. French Police opened an investigation into the death of the Mr Walsh after his body was discovered lying on the tracks inside the Grands Boulevards metro station in the northeast of the city. He had travelled from Ireland to watch the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race. Comeragh Cycling Club, which Mr Walsh had been a member of for the past 10 years, launched a fundraiser for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust last month. The club said: "Tomas sadly lost his life in Paris this July. "The Kevin Bell Reparation Trust's help has been invaluable in all aspects of the reparation of Tomas. We've chosen to fundraise for Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. All funds raised here will go directly to this great cause." The 'In Memory of Tomas Walsh' campaign on iDonate has so far raised €4,648 out of its €5,000 goal. The Walsh family confirmed Tomas' funeral details yesterday. A death notice said: "He will be forever missed but always remembered by his heartbroken parents Frank and Bernie and his sisters Caoimhe and Bróna. "Will be sadly missed by his grand parents Chrissie and Joan, his niece Molly, Caoimhe's partner Paul, his aunts, uncles, cousins and his many, many friends especially those in the Comeragh Cycling Club." Tomas who will be reposing on Friday from 4pm to 7pm, with his family requesting that the house remains "strictly private" outside these hours. A Requiem Mass will take place at 12pm this Saturday in St Nicholas church in Faithlegg, Co Waterford. Burial will take place afterwards in the adjoining cemetery, with family flowers only and donations to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. 'CREDIT TO HIS PARENTS' Online tributes to the cyclist described him as a "pleasant young man with the world in front of him", a "credit to his parents" and a "really great lad". One posted: "A truly lovely lad. You packed so much into your short life", another said: "It's very hard to comprehend the loss of such a talented young man who was so full of the joy of life". Another tribute read: "No words can be said to express how sad we feel at the heartbreaking loss of your son and brother, his young life tragically cut short, may he rest in peace". In a further tribute, a Mother and Nana of young children said: "My deepest sympathy at the loss of your very precious Tomas. "I know the pan of losing a son without warning in the blink of an eye. "The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust was a lifeline as our son was abroad also. An amazing organisation we were then in return able to give back to the KBRT for other families like ourselves, we held a fundraiser and raised lots of money to give back to the fund. "A very worthy cause. My heart and thoughts are with you all."
The Irish Sun
18 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Iranian nuclear scientist Roozbeh Vadi executed after ‘handing Israel intel that led to nuke chief's assassination'
Vadi reportedly had access to state secrets and was held in Tehran Evin Prison since his arrest last year REGIME OF DEATH Iranian nuclear scientist Roozbeh Vadi executed after 'handing Israel intel that led to nuke chief's assassination' IRAN has executed a nuclear scientist accused of passing sensitive information to Israel's Mossad amid an intensifying crackdown on alleged foreign spies. Roozbeh Vadi reportedly worked as a nuclear expert at the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. 4 Iran has executed a nuclear scientist accused of giving sensitive intel to Mossad Credit: AFP 4 Roozbeh Vadi reportedly worked as a nuclear expert at the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran Credit: Researchgate 4 Iran ranks as the world's second-most prolific executioner after China (stock) Credit: AFP But he was hanged Wednesday after being convicted of transferring 'classified information' to the Israeli intelligence agency. Iran's judiciary-run outlet Mizan Online claimed Vadi was recruited online by Mossad and later met agents in Vienna on five occasions. The leaked intel allegedly led to the killing of an unnamed Iranian nuclear scientist during Israel's Operation Rising Lion - a 12-day offensive which targeted the heart of Tehran's nuclear and military infrastructure. 'The man had leaked information about a nuclear scientist who was assassinated during the Zionist regime's recent aggression,' Mizan reported. The outlet added the execution followed confirmation of his sentence by Iran's Supreme Court. Iranian authorities say Vadi was employed at a "key and sensitive organisation" and had access to state secrets. He was reportedly held in Tehran Evin Prison since his arrest in February 2024, according to local NGO Iran Human Rights. The June conflict marked an unprecedented escalation, with Israel launching over 900 strikes across Tehran and beyond. The bombardment killed scores of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, at least a dozen nuclear scientists, and hundreds of others, according to Iranian and international reports. In the aftermath, Tehran vowed swift justice against those suspected of aiding the Israeli assault. Defence Secretary John Healey offers 'sincere apology' after MASSIVE Afghan data leak Authorities have since arrested numerous individuals for alleged espionage and have already executed several accused of working with Mossad, The Telegraph reports. In the past two weeks alone, three people were reportedly hanged for smuggling 'assassination equipment' into Iran on Israel's behalf. Iran's Ministry of Intelligence has claimed it is in a 'relentless battle' against foreign espionage networks including Mossad, the CIA, and MI6. Human rights organisations, however, have raised alarms over the pace of these trials. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, condemned the executions, saying they are "only to intimidate society and cover up the corruption and inefficiencies of the system." He added that espionage suspects are "sentenced to death without access to their chosen lawyer, in an unfair, non-transparent process." Iran ranks as the world's second-most prolific executioner after China, according to Amnesty International and other rights groups. Separately on Wednesday, authorities also executed a man convicted of being a member of the Islamic State group. He was allegedly planning terrorist operations inside Iran, Mizan reported. It comes after Iran reportedly asked the Taliban to hand over a bombshell list of MI6 spies and British special forces accidentally leaked by the UK government. The shocking move was revealed on Monday amid claims Tehran is coordinating with Taliban warlords to get their hands on the so-called "kill list". The vast and highly sensitive database exposes more than 100 British officials and up to 25,000 Afghans who worked alongside UK forces. One senior Iranian official told The Telegraph that the Revolutionary Guard Corps had "formally requested" the Taliban share the list, adding that "MI6 intelligence assets will take priority".
The Journal
21 hours ago
- The Journal
Twenty people killed after aid truck overturns near Gaza refugee camp
TWENTY PEOPLE WERE killed when an aid truck overturned near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Gaza's ministry said today. 'Twenty people were killed and dozens injured around midnight last night in a truck carrying aid overturned… while hundreds of civilians were waiting for aid,' the agency's spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told news agency AFP. Advertisement The incident took place near the Nuseirat refugee camp, as the truck was driving on an unsafe road that Israel had previously bombed, Bassal added. The Israeli military told AFP it was looking into the reports. Hamas accused Israel of forcing truck drivers to take dangerous routes to reach aid distribution centres, and to 'intentionally engineer… starvation and chaos.' Israel 'forces drivers to navigate routes overcrowded with starving civilians who have been waiting for weeks for the most basic necessities,' Hamas's media office said in a statement. Related Reads Gaza mother: 'My children ask for food, and I can give them nothing' 'This often results in desperate crowds swarming the trucks,' it added.
