A 78-year-old man has killed himself inside the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in the French capital, police say, causing its evacuation.
The man pulled out a shot-gun and shot himself through the mouth beside the main altar shortly after 16:00 (14:00 GMT).
He has been named as Dominique Venner, an award-winning far-right historian.
Mr Venner had recently been involved in the campaign against the government's decision to legalise gay marriage.
On Saturday, President Francois Hollande signed the bill into law.
Police said Mr Venner had made no statement before killing himself, although a note was found next to his body. They did not disclose its contents.
Screengrab of Dominique Venner's blog (21 May 2013) Dominique Venner's latest blog entry condemned the government's decision to legalise gay marriage
Earlier on Tuesday, he had written on his blog a damning critique of the same-sex marriage bill.
"New spectacular and symbolic actions are needed to wake up the sleep walkers and shake the anaesthetised consciousness," he wrote.
"We are entering a time when acts must follow words."
Mr Venner is also a former member of the Secret Army Organisation (OAS), which opposed Algerian independence in the early 1960s and tried to assassinate Charles De Gaulle.
What can I say about this, except that whatever wrong that the poor man was protesting against, it was nothing in comparison to what he did to himself. Killing himself in a cathedral is like a direct protest against God as well.
Related link: Man kills himself inside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris ~ BBC
It is a tragedy, and also a lesson in how religion can so warp the human mind.
ReplyDeleteThere are many other nations whose parliaments have voted against same sex marriage, but I don't recall seeing rationalists run in to libraries to suicide. Only religion drives people to these lengths.
"Only religion drives people to these lengths."
ReplyDeleteYes. Only a religious person would take the opportunity to mock an obnoxious "right wing" blogger upon the death of his mother and attribute it to someone he personally dislikes.
What a great example of secular morality.
Better to be executed or beaten as a result of the name of christ then to commit suicide.
ReplyDeleteHe could have been of use to christ if he still lived.
LRO, why do you assume a rationalist would commit suicide in a Library? I would have thought a more suitable shrine for a rationalist to return to nothingness would be the Dept. of Climate Change, a Gender Studies lecture or the Faculty Lounge at his nearest University, rather than a depository of knowledge and wisdom .... Then again I suppose he could seek out the nook housing Marx, Richard Dawkins, Rousseau et al
ReplyDeleteOnly religion drives people to these lengths.
ReplyDeleteIf I said something like this in support of religion, I know how ridiculous that would be to someone like you.
That's all I'm going to say.