Latest news with #TombOfTheUnknownSoldier
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man sparks outrage lighting cigarette with eternal flame at Arc de Triomphe
A man was caught on video lighting his cigarette using the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Paris's Arc de Triomphe on August 4. The flame marks the burial site of an unidentified French soldier killed in the First World War, and is meant to honor all soldiers who have died for France throughout history. The act has been widely condemned as disrespectful.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Outrage as man lights a cigarette using Tomb of the Unknown Soldier's eternal flame
A man has been arrested after lighting a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, a sacred site dedicated to fallen soldiers. The shocking act, which took place under the Arc de Triomphe, sparked outrage after video of the moment surfaced online. The clip shows a man bending down to the flame, lighting his cigarette, then walking off as stunned tourists looked on. French authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the suspect was taken into custody after admitting to the offence. Bruno Retailleau, France 's Interior Minister, wrote on X: 'The man who desecrated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by lighting a cigarette with the memorial flame was arrested in Paris for violating a burial site, tomb, urn, or monument erected in memory of the dead. He was taken into custody and admitted the facts.' The incident happened on Monday evening, according to police, and the arrest was made the following afternoon. Patricia Miralles, Minister for Veterans and Remembrance, was among those who condemned the man's behaviour. She said: 'You cannot ridicule French remembrance and get away with it.' She added: 'This flame does not light a cigarette, it burns for the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers. This is an insult to our dead, to our history and to our nation.' The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sits beneath the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the famous Champs-Élysées. It contains the remains of an unidentified French soldier who died during World War I and stands as a symbol of national mourning and respect for all French troops who have died in combat. The flame, which burns continuously, is meant to honour the memory of the fallen and is rekindled every evening in a solemn ceremony. French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the video was filmed by a Latvian tourist on August 4 and first shared on TikTok. The tourist told the paper the man did not appear drunk and seemed fully aware of what he was doing. AFP said it could not independently verify who originally filmed the video. Police say the man could face charges for violating a memorial site, a crime under French law. The video's circulation has reignited debate in France about respect for national symbols and the treatment of historic sites.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
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.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Man Who Lit Cigarette From Eternal Flame in Paris Is Arrested
The video set off outrage in France and across the internet: A man stepping nonchalantly over a chain barriers under 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 on Tuesday. 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. In France, violating a burial site, tomb, urn or monument can be punished by up to a year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros (about $17,400). France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed in 1920 beneath the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and holds the remains of an unknown French soldier who died in World War I. The flame was lit in 1923 and has burned since. Video of the cigarette-lighting episode began spreading on social media on Tuesday. It shows the man, dressed in athletic wear, walking casually past a crowd of tourists gathered at the memorial. He stoops to light his cigarette from the eternal flame and walks on. The footage quickly prompted officials and others in France to call for the man's arrest. 'This is not a simple deviation: it is a desecration,' said Patricia Miralles, the French minister for war veterans. Across the world, war memorials with eternal flames have periodically been vandalized or desecrated. In 2012 in Australia, a man was arrested and charged with putting out the eternal flame at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne with a fire extinguisher. In June, Russian officials said they were investigating reports that a child had poured water on an eternal flame in the Yaroslavl region. Aurelien Breeden contributed reporting from Paris.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Man who lit cigarette from French war memorial flame faces legal action
A French minister has said she is taking legal action against an unidentified man who was filmed lighting a cigarette from a memorial flame at a major Paris war monument. The video of a man stooping to light a cigarette 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, the minister for veterans and remembrance, wrote on X. 'You cannot ridicule French remembrance and get away with it.' The tomb, under the arch at the top of the Champs-Élysées avenue, contains the remains of a soldier killed in the first world war and is laid there as a tribute to France's war dead. 'This flame does not light a cigarette, it burns for the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers,' said 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. Le Figaro newspaper reported that it was filmed by a Latvian tourist on the evening of 4 August and first posted on TikTok.
