France To Revoke Moroccan Man’s Residency After Cigarette Lit On Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

A 47-year-old Moroccan national will have his French residence permit revoked after lighting a cigarette with the flame from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced on Wednesday.

The man, known to police and the courts, has 21 prior convictions for contempt, rebellion, and racial insults.

His current residency card was valid until October 2025.

The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon, when the suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

He initially denied the act before admitting it under questioning.

Retailleau condemned the gesture as “undignified and miserable,” and “harmful to the memory of those who died for France.”

| Un homme a été filmé en train d’allumer une cigarette sur la tombe du Soldat inconnu, à Paris. pic.twitter.com/OqA4Rg2vhq

— Cpasdeslol (@cpasdeslol_X) August 5, 2025

Patricia Miralles, Minister of Remembrance and Veterans Affairs, described the act as “an insult to our dead, to our history, to our nation. This flame does not light a cigarette; it burns for the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers,” she added.

Several National Rally lawmakers also voiced anger. RN MEP Matthieu Valet said it “sullies the memory of our soldiers who shed their blood for our freedom,” adding, “Respect our dead.”

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located beneath the Arc de Triomphe, holds the remains of an unidentified World War I soldier, symbolically honoring all French soldiers who have died in combat.

While incidents related to the landmark are uncommon, they have occurred.

In 1998, a Mexican tourist was arrested for dousing the flame with liquid during the France ’98 World Cup. That same year, an Australian was arrested for using it to cook an egg.

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