Video of a man lighting a cigarette from the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris

A video of a man lighting his cigarette from the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris has sparked outrage in France on social media; here's what we know.

As its name suggests, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a monument dedicated to the memory of soldiers who died in a conflict without being identified; in the case of France , it is located beneath the Arc de Triomphe .

They also correspond to the remains of a fallen soldier of the First World War , which is what can be read on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris : “Here lies a French soldier who died for his country.”

A video of a man kneeling at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris began circulating on TikTok, however, it was to light his cigarette , which caused outrage in France.

The outrage against the man who lit his cigarette from the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris was evident in the change of expression among those who saw him breach the monument's security.

Social media has lashed out at the man in the video, which is no more than 10 seconds long, as they consider it a grave lack of respect for France and the memory of its soldiers.

Similar statements were made by MP Matthieu Valet, as well as by the French Minister of Remembrance and Veterans of War, Patricia Miralles, who demanded sanctions against the man.

For this reason, the French minister announced that she has filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office against the man who lit his cigarette with the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier .

He added that the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is not meant to light a cigarette like the man in the video, but rather to burn in memory of the millions of soldiers who sacrificed for France.

Following the filing of a complaint against the man who lit his cigarette from the flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that he has been arrested.

In line with his social media post, the man was arrested on Grande-Armeé Avenue (a few meters from the Arc de Triomphe) and accused of desecrating a burial site, or in this case, the memorial to the fallen.

The French minister added that the man admitted the facts , and will therefore appear before a court and remain in custody, as he ruled that the "undignified and miserable act undermines the memory" of his soldiers .

According to Le Figaro, the man who lit his cigarette from the flame is not French, but a Moroccan citizen, and also has 21 criminal records, for vehicle theft, violence, and racism.