A video circulating on social media shows a man lighting a cigarette in front of the Eternal Flame in Paris—a memorial dedicated to the victims of the First World War. This incident has sparked sharp public outrage.
On August 5, the French Ministry of the Interior announced that the suspect had been apprehended and had confessed to his actions. Patricia Mirallès, the official in charge of veterans' affairs under the French government, described the act as "an insult to France's memory."
According to Le Figaro, the video was posted on TikTok by a Latvian tourist. He claimed the man appeared sober and even proud of what he was doing. An investigation into the incident is underway.
