6 days ago
Outrage as man uses memorial flame at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to light cigarette
A man has been arrested after a visitor to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris used the memorial flame to light a cigarette.
A video posted on social media shows a man bending down to light his cigarette from the eternal flame in the French capital, before casually walking away in front of bystanders.
'He didn't appear to be drunk or under the influence of drugs,' the woman who filmed the clip on Monday told Le Figaro. 'On the contrary, he was clearly aware of what he was doing and proud of having done it.
A man identified as Hamdi H. was then arrested in the 17th arrondissement on Tuesday around 6pm local time, local media reported.
The video triggered outrage across France with ministers denouncing the incident as a disgrace to the legacy of fallen soldiers.
'France will never tolerate tarnishing the memory of those who died for her,' Patricia Miralles, the minister for veterans and remembrance, wrote on X.
Located under the Arc de Triomphe, the tomb contains the remains of unidentified soldiers who died in the First World War.
'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,' she said in a separate post.
France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also condemned the act, describing it as 'shameful and despicable'.
The suspect is believed to be a 47-year-old homeless man, legally resident in France until October 2025, Le Figaro reported.
A source close to the case told the paper that Mr Retailleau will revoke the residence permit of the man, who is originally from Morocco. He remains in police custody as of Wednesday.
He is accused of 'violating a burial site, tomb, cinerary urn, or monument erected in memory of the dead' - an offense punishable by one year in prison and a €15,000 (£13,000) fine.
