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At the tomb of the unknown soldier in Paris, an "eternal flame" commemorates the fallen of the First World War (archive photo).
Bild: JACQUES DEMARTHON / AFP
A man was arrested after lighting a cigarette at the "Eternal Flame" at the World War I memorial in Paris. A video of the incident caused outrage and a politician pressed charges.
The "eternal flame" at the tomb of the unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is intended to commemorate the French fallen in the First World War. What happens when the memorial, which is also popular with tourists, is used for other purposes is what a man had to experience on site: He was arrested for lighting a cigarette at the flame.
The man was arrested for desecrating a tomb, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced on the online service X. "He was taken into police custody and has confessed to the crime," he added.
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In a video circulated online, a man can be seen leaning over the "eternal flame" on the tomb of the unknown soldier in Paris. He lights a cigarette at the flame and then leaves the monument again. The video caused outrage on social media, but also among politicians.
"It is an insult to the memory of those who died for France", wrote Patricia Mirallès, the French government representative for veterans, on the online service X. "This flame does not light a cigarette, it watches over the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers", she added. "No one mocks the memory of France with impunity." According to the minister, she immediately filed a complaint.
The AFP news agency was unable to determine on Tuesday who had published the video first. The newspaper "Le Figaro" reported that a tourist from Latvia had filmed the scene and uploaded the video to the online platform Tiktok.
"He didn't give the impression of being drunk or under the influence of drugs," Le Figaro quoted the tourist as saying. "On the contrary, he was obviously aware of what he was doing and proud to have done it."
