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Paris Man Detained for Lighting Cigarette at War Memorial Faces Deportation

A formal complaint from veterans’ authorities triggered criminal proceedings with authorities seeking to revoke his residence permit after the filmed desecration

In Frankreich zündete sich ein Mann eine Zigarette an der ewigen Flamme eines Kriegsdenkmals an – nun drohen ihm Konsequenzen.
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Das Grabmal liegt unter dem Triumphbogen (Archivfoto)

Overview

  • A 47-year-old man was arrested after a viral video showed him lighting a cigarette at the eternal flame beneath the Arc de Triomphe, a memorial protected under French law
  • He confessed to the act in police custody and now faces charges of desecrating a war grave, a crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a €15,000 fine
  • Veterans’ commissioner Patricia Mirallès filed a formal complaint with the Paris public prosecutor’s office, calling the gesture an insult to the memory of World War I soldiers
  • Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau’s office confirmed plans to strip the Moroccan national of his French residence permit and initiate deportation proceedings
  • The incident highlights how a bystander-filmed TikTok clip can rapidly amplify local actions into national legal and political disputes