A man who was caught on video lighting a cigarette from a memorial flame at a major Paris war monument was handed a three-month suspended sentence on Friday.
The man, whose name was given as Hakim H., was found guilty of desecrating the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by a Paris criminal court.
“I deeply regret this, I apologise to all French people,” the 47-year-old construction worker said, before bursting into tears in the dock during the expedited trial.
The man, who lives in Normandy and sleeps at his workplace in Paris during the week, admitted the charges against him, calling his action “the stupidity of the century.”
The Moroccan citizen who holds French residency papers said he had acted under the influence of alcohol and medicines.
He was also fined a symbolic euro and ordered to seek treatment for alcohol and drug addictions.
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The video of a man stooping and lighting up from the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, before walking calmly away watched by tourists, caused indignation when it was widely shared on social media.
The incident happened on Monday evening and the man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, police told AFP.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has stood under the Arc of Triumph since 1920 to commemorate the country’s dead from World War I.
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