A French minister has announced legal action against an unidentified man filmed lighting a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The video, widely shared on social media, sparked outrage among officials and the public.
Patricia Miralles, the minister for veterans and remembrance, stated on X that she was filing a case with Paris prosecutors to ensure the man is found and punished. 'You cannot ridicule French remembrance and get away with it,' she wrote.
The tomb contains the remains of an unidentified soldier from the First World War, serving as a tribute to all French war dead. Miralles condemned the act, saying, 'This flame does not light a cigarette, it burns for the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers.'
According to Le Figaro, the video was filmed by a Latvian tourist on the evening of 4 August and first posted on TikTok. The incident has reignited debates about respect for national monuments and war memorials.
