Latest news with #desecration
Malay Mail
09-08-2025
- Malay Mail
Lit — but not in a good way: Man sentenced for using Paris war memorial flame to spark cigarette
PARIS, Aug 9 — A man who was caught on video lighting a cigarette from a memorial flame at a major Paris war monument was handed a three-month suspended sentence yesterday. The man, whose name was given as Hakim H., was found guilty of desecrating the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by a Paris criminal court. 'I deeply regret this, I apologise to all French people,' the 47-year-old construction worker said, before bursting into tears in the dock during the expedited trial. The man, who lives in Normandy and sleeps at his workplace in Paris during the week, admitted the charges against him, calling his action 'the stupidity of the century.' The Moroccan citizen who holds French residency papers said he had acted under the influence of alcohol and medicines. He was also fined a symbolic euro and ordered to seek treatment for alcohol and drug addictions. 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. The incident happened on Monday evening and the man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, police told AFP. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has stood under the Arc of Triumph since 1920 to commemorate the country's dead from World War I. — AFP
Daily Mail
07-08-2025
- 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.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France strips residency from 47-year-old Moroccan man who lit cigarette at Arc de Triomphe war memorial
France has reportedly stripped the residency permit of a man who lit a cigarette at a war memorial in Paris after he was caught on camera. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Tuesday called the actions of a 47-year-old Moroccan man "indecent and pathetic" following his arrest. Video footage of him lighting a cigarette beneath the much-visited Arc de Triomphe sparked outrage after it was circulated. "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," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on X. France To Deport Palestinian Woman Over Antisemitic Post Featuring Hitler, Halts Gaza Evacuations On Wednesday, France's Interior Ministry announced that the unidentified man had been stripped of his residency permit, Politico reported. The Unknown Soldier War Memorial contains a flame and the tomb of a soldier killed in World War I under an arch of the Arc de Triomphe. Read On The Fox News App Locals Rant Their Neighborhood Now 'Like Disneyland' As Post-olympics Tourism Surges Footage of the incident shows a man kneeling beside the memorial, which appears to be off limits to visitors. He is seen leaning over the flame emitting from the memorial to light his cigarette before immediately leaving, as the stunned tourists watch. The man reportedly has legal status in France and was known to police, according to local reports. Patricia Miralles, the deputy minister for Memory and Veterans' Affairs, said she was "outraged" by what happened. "Walking on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lighting his cigarette with the eternal flame. This is not a mere misstep: it is a desecration," she wrote on X. "France will never tolerate the tarnishing of the memory of those who died for her. Never."Original article source: France strips residency from 47-year-old Moroccan man who lit cigarette at Arc de Triomphe war memorial
News.com.au
07-08-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
France strips residency from 47-year-old Moroccan who lit cigarette at Arc de Triomphe war memorial
France has reportedly stripped the residency permit of a man who lit a cigarette at a war memorial in Paris after he was caught on camera. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Tuesday called the actions of a 47-year-old Moroccan man 'indecent and pathetic' following his arrest. Video footage of him lighting a cigarette beneath the much-visited Arc de Triomphe sparked outrage after it was circulated. '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,' Mr Retailleau wrote on X. On Wednesday, France's Interior Ministry announced that the unidentified man had been stripped of his residency permit, Politico reported. The Unknown Soldier War Memorial contains a flame and the tomb of a soldier killed in World War I under an arch of the Arc de Triomphe. Footage of the incident shows a man kneeling beside the memorial, which appears to be off limits to visitors. He is seen leaning over the flame emitting from the memorial to light his cigarette before immediately leaving, as the stunned tourists watch. The man reportedly has legal status in France and was known to police, according to local reports. Patricia Miralles, the deputy minister for Memory and Veterans' Affairs, said she was 'outraged' by what happened. 'Walking on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lighting his cigarette with the eternal flame. This is not a mere misstep: it is a desecration,' she wrote on X. 'France will never tolerate the tarnishing of the memory of those who died for her. Never.'
Fox News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
France strips residency from 47-year-old Moroccan man who lit cigarette at Arc de Triomphe war memorial
France has reportedly stripped the residency permit of a man who lit a cigarette at a war memorial in Paris after he was caught on camera. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Tuesday called the actions of a 47-year-old Moroccan man "indecent and pathetic" following his arrest. Video footage of him lighting a cigarette beneath the much-visited Arc de Triomphe sparked outrage after it was circulated. "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," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on X. On Wednesday, France's Interior Ministry announced that the unidentified man had been stripped of his residency permit, Politico reported. The Unknown Soldier War Memorial contains a flame and the tomb of a soldier killed in World War I under an arch of the Arc de Triomphe. Footage of the incident shows a man kneeling beside the memorial, which appears to be off limits to visitors. He is seen leaning over the flame emitting from the memorial to light his cigarette before immediately leaving, as the stunned tourists watch. The man reportedly has legal status in France and was known to police, according to local reports. Patricia Miralles, the deputy minister for Memory and Veterans' Affairs, said she was "outraged" by what happened. "Walking on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lighting his cigarette with the eternal flame. This is not a mere misstep: it is a desecration," she wrote on X. "France will never tolerate the tarnishing of the memory of those who died for her. Never."
