PARIS, Aug. 5, 2025 — A man igniting his cigarette with the eternal flame beneath the Arc de Triomphe has sparked outrage and prompted a legal inquiry. The brazen act, captured on video and circulated widely on social networks, has been condemned as a profound insult to national memory.
Minister Vows Justice After Flame Desecration
A man lit a cigarette using the eternal flame of the unknown soldier, prompting the French Minister Delegate for Memory and Veterans to seek justice.
- A video surfaced showing a man lighting a cigarette with the flame of the unknown soldier.
- Minister Delegate Patricia Mirallès announced legal action to identify and prosecute the individual.
- The flame symbolizes the sacrifice of millions of French soldiers.
- The act is being called an “outrage” to national memory and history.
Patricia Mirallès, the Minister Delegate responsible for memory and veterans, declared on Tuesday, August 5, that justice would be sought to apprehend the individual. The disturbing footage shows a person breaching the barriers surrounding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then leaning in to use the flame for their cigarette.
“This flame does not heat a cigarette: it watches over the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers,” the minister stated. She described the action as “an insult to our dead, our history, our nation.”
What is the significance of the flame of the unknown soldier? The eternal flame, solemnly relit each year during the Armistice Day ceremony commemorating the end of World War I, serves as a tribute to all French soldiers who perished in conflict. Historian Nicolas Offenstadt explained that the concept behind the flame is to ensure the “unknown soldier is always visible and that there is a real cult that is returned to him.”
“This is not mere incivility,” Mirallès emphasized. “It is an outrage in memory of those who fell for France.” She further asserted that “we do not flout the memory of France with impunity.” The minister’s swift response underscores the deep reverence held for this potent symbol of sacrifice and remembrance.
