A man who caught himself on a video that illuminated a cigarette from an eternal flame at the tomb of an unknown soldier under Arc de Triomp in Paris was issued a three -month suspended punishment according to Irish national public service.
Hakim H, a 47 -year -old construction worker living in Normandy and working in Paris, was found guilty of desecration by the sacred memorial by the Paris Criminal Court. According to the report, the man admitted his actions during the accelerated trial and described his behavior as “stupidity of the century”.
“I regret deeply, I apologize to all French people,” Hakim Hi quoted when he said and broke in tears in the courtroom. He explained that he acted under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
In addition to the suspended punishment, Hakim was fined by a symbolic euro and ordered to seek the treatment of his alcohol and drug addictions.
Video sparks outrage
The incident occurred on Monday evening and was widely shared on social media, which caused public indignation. The shots show that Hakim has crossed the protective barriers and crouched to light a cigarette from the flame, which since 1923 was burning continuously and then left quietly as tourists watch.
Official reaction
French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleu condemned the act on the Social Media Social Media (formerly Twitter) and said, “This unwitting and deplorable act undermines the memory of those who died for France.”
Secretary Ministers Patricia Miralles described the action as an insult to the grave and said: “France will never tolerate the dirty memories of those who died for it. It is not a simple deviation, it is a desecration.”
The importance of the memorial
Since 1920, the tomb of an unknown soldier has stood under Arc de TriomPhe as a French main honor to the fallen soldiers, holding the body of an unidentified soldier from the First World War. The eternal flame in the place, first illuminated in 1923, symbolizes the preservation of the monument and respect for the dead.
(Tagstotranslate) Arc de Triomphe War Memorial
