A French minister has said she is taking legal action against an unidentified man who was filmed lighting a cigarette from a memorial flame at a major Paris war monument.

The video of a man stooping to light a cigarette from the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, before walking calmly away watched by tourists, caused indignation when it was widely shared on social media.

“I am filing a case immediately with the Paris state prosecutors so that this man will be found and sanctions imposed to make an example of him,” Patricia Miralles, the minister for veterans and remembrance, wrote on X.

  • notaviking@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    What law did he break, sorry I am ignorant of French laws. I understand it probably is seen as insensitive, but sounds like they are making this go viral through the Streisand effect and may lead to more people copying the smoker

  • Øπ3ŕ@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 month ago

    No one beat his ass on-site? FFS. Might as well have been tagging a national park historical landmark. They’re more American than they wanna realize.