<img src="https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SEC_261348138-2b0b.jpg'quality=90&strip=all">A 47-year-old Moroccan national is facing deportation from France after sparking outrage by lighting a cigarette using the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath Paris' Arc de Triomphe.The incident, which occurred on Tuesday morning, was captured on video and widely circulated on social media. The footage shows the man climbing over the chain barrier that surrounds the monument, before leaning over the eternal flame to light a cigarettean act that has provoked condemnation across France.Frances Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the act as unworthy and deplorable, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that it undermines the memory of those who died for France.Patricia Miralles, the Minister for War Veterans, also condemned the incident, calling it not a mere misstep, but a desecration. She stressed that France will never tolerate the tarnishing of the memory of those who died for her. Never.<img src="https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/photos/shares/Screenshot 2025-08-07 105925_1754560783.png">The man, identified in French media as Hamdi H., is reportedly homeless and was previously known to law enforcement. Le Figaro reported, citing a source close to the case, that authorities have decided to revoke his residence permit, paving the way for his deportation.Initially, Hamdi denied being involved, but later admitted to being the person seen in the video. Police have charged him with violating a burial site, tomb, cinerary urn, or monument erected in memory of the dead, an offence punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 under French law.Local reports also indicate that Hamdi has a significant criminal history, with 21 prior entries in the national police database, including offences such as car theft, vandalism, violence, and racially motivated public insults.A witness who claimed to have filmed the video told French media that the man did not appear to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs during the incident. On the contrary, he was clearly aware of what he was doing, and proud of having done it, she said.The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located beneath the Arc de Triomphe, is one of France's most solemn national monuments, commemorating unidentified soldiers who died during World War I and other conflicts. The eternal flame has burned continuously since it was first lit in 1923.The post <a href="http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2025/8/homeless-man-faces-deportation-from-france-after-lighting-cigarette-on-eternal-flame-of-tomb-of-unknown-soldier.html">Homeless man faces deportation from France after lighting cigarette on eternal flame of Tomb of Unknown Soldier</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.lindaikejisblog.com">Linda Ikeji Blog</a>.
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