On 6 August, French authorities stripped the residency permit of a 47-year-old Moroccan man after a video of him lighting a cigarette at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris went viral.
The man, who has legal status in France and a prior police record, was arrested on Tuesday and admitted to the violation.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the incident as a blatant act of disrespect and imposed the severe penalty swiftly, marking the first step toward potential deportation back to Morocco.
Public Outrage and Political Context
Video footage of the man kneeling beside the memorial and leaning over the eternal flame to ignite his cigarette sparked widespread condemnation online.
Tourists present at the site reportedly watched in disbelief as he left the area immediately after the act.
Patricia Miralles, deputy minister for Memory and Veterans’ Affairs, condemned the actions as a direct desecration, stressing that France would not tolerate any disrespect to those who died defending the nation.
Significance of the Memorial
The Arc de Triomphe’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honors those who died during World War I. Its eternal flame aims to symbolise remembrance and national reverence, making any act of desecration particularly provocative.
Officials emphasized that the man’s behavior went beyond a simple lapse in judgment, framing it as a deliberate violation of a protected national site.
Watch the video here:
@dailymail The French government was set to strip the residency permit of a man who lit a cigarette at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier underneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, on August 4, local media said. The man was arrested shortly after he kneeled down to light his cigarette using the eternal flame. France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the act online, with Le Figaro reporting that the a 47-year-old Moroccan man seen in the video was set to be stripped of his residency Read more at DailyMail.com #france #war #memorial #europe
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