French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced on Wednesday the revocation of a 47-year-old Moroccan migrant’s residency permit after he was filmed lighting a cigarette using the eternal flame at the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" beneath Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.
The decision marks the first step toward deporting the man, identified as Hamdi H., back to Morocco. The viral video, which sparked outrage across France, surfaced on social media Monday, showing Hamdi H. casually kneeling to light his cigarette with the flame—burning continuously since 1923—before walking away as stunned visitors watched.
Footage of the incident in France
Police arrested Hamdi H. on Tuesday after the footage spread widely. He admitted to the act and faces charges of desecrating a burial site or monument, punishable by a fine of €15,000 or up to one year in prison.
According to Le Figaro, Hamdi H. has a lengthy criminal record with 21 prior convictions, including car theft, vandalism, assault and racially motivated public insults. His residency permit was set to expire in October. Retailleau condemned the act, saying, “This disrespectful and pathetic act insults the memory of those who died for France.”
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The minister, 64, elected president of the right-wing Republicans party in May, has taken a hardline stance on immigration since his appointment in September 2024, advocating stricter policies toward Algeria and faster deportations of undocumented migrants as he eyes a potential 2027 presidential run.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, established in 1920 under the Arc de Triomphe, honors a World War I soldier whose remains are interred there. The eternal flame, lit daily since 1923, symbolizes France’s enduring remembrance of its fallen.
The incident has fueled public anger and intensified debates over immigration and respect for national symbols, with authorities signaling a firm response to such provocations.