A gesture that has generated a wave of indignation has shaken the heart of Paris, when a man, of Latvian origin, has been arrested after turning on a cigar next to the unknown soldier tomblocated under the iconic arch of triumph. The scene, recorded by a tourist and broadcast widely on social networks, shows how the individual crosses security chains, is solemnly approaching the eternal flame (which commemorates the fallen in the great war) and, without regard, turn on your cigarette before the stunned look of those present.
The reaction has not been waiting. Both users on the Internet and members of the Government have described the act of deeply disrespectful. Patricia Mirallèsdelegated minister in charge of memory and veterans, has declared that the behavior constitutes “un insult to our dead, our history and our nation“
The minister has indicated that the action cannot be reduced to a mere lack of civism, but represents “una lack of respect for the memory of those who fell through France“
According to French media, witnesses who have witnessed the event have assured that the suspect did not present signs of drunkenness or alteration due to narcotics. Man has been immediately placed in judicial custody.
A national emblem
The tomb of the unknown soldier is a national emblem installed in 1920, a few years after the end of World War I. There they rest The remains of an unidentified soldiersymbol of all French fallen in combat, especially in the Battle of Verdún. Since then, the eternal flame remains on as uninterrupted tribute to its sacrifice.