Paris: A 47-year-old Moroccan national will be tried in French courts today for having lit his cigarette using the flame of the soldat inconnu, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, under the world-famous Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris.
The Parisian prosecutor's office ruled on Thursday night that he would be tried Friday for the “violation of a burial place, tomb, cinerary urn or monument erected in memory of the dead,” an offense which could send him behind bars for minimum of one year and could slap him with a fine of 15000 euros.
Captured on Camera, Shared Worldwide
His act, universally condemned as a desecration of the holiest of symbols for the French nation, happened on the night of Monday, 4 August. It got secretly captured by a Latvian tourist in Paris, who uploaded the clip on TikTok.
The video, with the man casually squatting to light his cigarette with the eternal flame before turning to leave the spot with appalled tourists observing nearby, went instantly viral on social media, prompting global outrage.
The Latvian woman who videotaped him, said the man “wasn’t drunk or on drugs, and just the opposite, really, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and he appeared to be rather proud to do it.” The cops named the suspect, a Moroccan-born national who is homeless and is already known to them.
Suspect with 21 Prior Convictions
The man has a long criminal past; 21 previous convictions, such as insults, revolt, racial slurs, theft of a vehicle, vandalism, and public violence. He is listed on the criminal record processing database registered in France. He has a French residence permit which expires in October 2025.
Residence Permit Revocation Ordered
Home Minister, Bruno Retailleau ordered for the immediate revocation of the Moroccan’s residence permit as soon as his identity was confirmed. The suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, had not yet confessed to the act, but later, while in police custody, confessed to it.
French Leaders Condemn the Act
The gesture has elicited angry responses on the part of French political leaders and government authorities, particularly on the right and far-right. Retailleau himself characterized the gesture as an “unworthy and miserable act” which “offends the memory of those who died for France.”
Patricia Mirallès, Minister Delegate for Veterans' Affairs and Remembrance, characterized it as “an unacceptable indecent gesture” and stated that “one cannot offend the memory of France with impunity”
National Rally politicians were swift to comment. Member of European Parliament, Matthieu Valet called the action an act that “dishonours the memory of our soldiers, who shed blood for our liberty,” while MP Laure Lavalette asked, “How is it possible for someone like him to be granted a residence permit?”
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The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was built on November 11, 1920 and is a memorial to the troops slain for France during World War I. The eternal flame, symbol of the nation, is to remain lit until eternity for the sacrifice they and all others made in subsequent wars —the act, therefore, is a deep humiliation for the whole of France and its people.
