A Moroccan man is set to have his French residency permit stripped from him after he was caught on camera lighting a cigarette at the war memorial known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Located at Paris’ popular tourist spot the Arc de Triomphe, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the final resting place of a World War I soldier who was buried in the vault as a tribute to the entire French Army.
The memorial has been there since November 11, 1920, and two years later journalist and poet Gabriel Boissy came up with the idea of the Flame of Remembrance, which was then lit at the memorial on November 11, 1923 and has never been extinguished since.
The gravesite is regularly surrounded by visitors, but in recent days one of those visitors crossed a line – literally – by stepping over the rope of the memorial and appearing to use the Flame of Remembrance to light a cigarette.
President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech beside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier earlier this year (THOMAS SAMSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Footage of the shocking moment has since gone viral, catching the attention of authorities, including Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
As viewers were left horrified, Retailleau announced that the man had been arrested.
In a post on Twitter, he wrote (translated): “The man who desecrated the tomb of the Unknown Soldier by lighting a cigarette with the eternal 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 to the facts. Following the report made by the Police Prefect (Article 40 of the CPP), he will be brought before the courts. This unworthy and deplorable act undermines the memory of those who died for France.”
According to Politico, the interior ministry then announced that the 47-year-old man will be stripped of his residency permit in France as a result of his actions.
Local publisher Le Figaro further reported that the Moroccan man was known to police, and had committed past offenses.
Bruno Retailleau made clear the man would face action (X/@BrunoRetailleau)
Among those criticizing the man for his actions was Patricia Miralles, the deputy minister for Memory and Veterans’ Affairs, who said she was ‘outraged’ by the scene.
In a post on Twitter, she wrote: “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. France will never tolerate the tarnishing of the memory of those who died for her. Never.”
