Eloi Rolland: Parents of missing French teen return to New Zealand
Thierry and Catherine Rolland posted an ad in a Central Otago newspaper seeking sightings of their son, who hasn't been seen since he disappeared from West Auckland on March 7 2020.
That morning the 18-year-old searched Google
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Video of the cigarette-lighting incident spread on social media and caused outrage in France
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. A man stepped over a chain barrier beneath the Arc de Triomphe to light a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Photo / Getty Images Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read. Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Video of the cigarette-lighting incident spread on social media and caused outrage in France The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. A man stepped over a chain barrier beneath the Arc de Triomphe to light a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Photo / Getty Images The video set off outrage in France and across the internet: A man stepping nonchalantly over a chain barrier beneath the Arc de Triomphe to light a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The man could face criminal charges in Paris, where he was arrested yesterday. The Paris Public Prosecutor's office declined to name the man but said in a statement that he 'acknowledges the facts' of the episode. 'This unworthy and deplorable act undermines the memory of those who died for France,' said Bruno Retailleau, France's Interior Minister, on social media. The suspect is a 47-year-old Moroccan man who is a legal resident of France, and is likely to have his residency permit revoked, according to a French official with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing legal process.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
French President Francois Mitterrand gave green light to bombing – Rainbow Warrior: A Forgotten History
'He was lying because he was involved.' Over the course of the series we've heard from three key French witnesses about Mitterrand's level of responsibility in the bombing of the Greenpeace boat in Auckland Harbour 40 years ago. Colonel Jean-Luc Kister, the man who placed the bombs on the hull of the boat and who would go on to lead the combat dive unit, said Mitterrand would have had to sign off on the operation. 'Francois Mitterrand, yes, it's clear that such a clandestine operation at that level, they request all the time the green fire from the President.' (Kister's phrase 'green fire' – a direct translation of the French 'feu vert' - means the green light.) Kister said Mitterrand would have had to go if it was proven he knew about the operation. Hubert Vedrine, the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who for decades was one of Mitterrand's closest confidants, says the French President told him face-to-face that he had 'confirmed the instructions' his Minister of Defence had given to the DGSE, the French spy service. However, Vedrine maintained that those instructions were simply to 'neutralise' the zone around the French nuclear testing site at Mururoa and to continue the tests. From there, it was up to the defence ministry and the spy service to put those instructions into action. He said there was a big gap between Mitterrand's instructions and what happened. But Vedrine – who, in one form or another has advised every French president over the past five decades – said in another context that he was 'not 100% for transparency'. He was speaking in relation to former French President Francois Hollande's acknowledgement that he had ordered the assassinations of French citizens who had joined Isis – another off-the-books operation by France, shrouded in state secrecy. Plenel said Defence Minister Charles Hernu and DGSE boss Admiral Pierre Lacoste were forced out of their jobs after the French Government admitted that the Rainbow Warrior bombers were following orders. But the parliamentary inquiry that was promised never eventuated as it would have been too dangerous for Mitterrand. While France paid compensation to the family of Fernando Pereira, Greenpeace and the New Zealand Government, Mitterrand remained in power for another 10 years. He died a year later in 1996 from prostate cancer – an illness he had concealed from the French public throughout his presidency. Rainbow Warrior: A Forgotten History is a six-episode true crime series. Follow the series on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released on Thursdays. The series is hosted and produced by John Daniell and Noelle McCarthy of Bird of Paradise Productions in co-production with the NZ Herald. Rainbow Warrior: A Forgotten History is supported by New Zealand on Air.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Reported Te Anau sighting not confirmed
An age-progression photo of French exchange student Eloi Rolland, who went missing from Auckland five years ago and would now be 23. Image: supplied Police say a sighting of a missing French student in Te Anau, just days after his disappearance from Piha in 2020, cannot be confirmed. Eloi Rolland was reported missing on March 10, 2020, in Auckland but was reportedly seen in Te Anau roughly two days later by a French tourist. No contact has been heard from him since March, 2020. His parents, Thierry and Catherine Rolland, arrived last month, on their second trip to New Zealand, this time landing in the South Island to follow up on the Te Anau lead. He went missing before the nationwide Covid lockdown began on March 26, and his parents were unable to look for their son until 2022 due to border restrictions. After being contacted by the Otago Daily Times, Detective Inspector Callum McNeill, of the Waitemata police, said the ongoing search for Eloi Rolland, five years on, was a "poignant reminder" of his parents' enduring pain. The detective inspector also said they had interviewed staff and holidaymakers at Lakeview Holiday Park in Te Anau where Eloi was sighted to no avail. Eloi was last seen on CCTV in a central Auckland train station where he was believed to be travelling to the black sand surf beach of Piha. An extensive investigation followed, including hundreds of hours searching parts of the Waitakere Ranges — the dense native bush that provides the backdrop for Auckland's west coast beaches. Det Insp McNeill said there was no evidence that suggested Eloi had been the subject of foul play. A French documentary aired in 2023 featured an interview with French tourist Oceane Beneteau, who said she met Eloi at a holiday park in Te Anau, days after he went missing. On Tuesday, Mrs Rolland said the couple had covered almost all of the police stations in the South Island, handing out an age-progressed photo of their son, who would now be 23. They had no new answers to the mystery of what happened to their son. "Now we wait," she said. Det Insp McNeill said throughout the years they had stayed in regular contact with Eloi's parents, who had shown "remarkable resilience" through an incredibly difficult time. The Rollands' current visit was a reminder of their suffering and the unanswered questions they continue to face, he said. Police are open to any new leads, and encourage anyone with information to come forward and remain committed to finding Eloi, he said.
