“Far-right activist” kills himself in Paris Cathedral

The French historian shoots himself at the altar in protest against same sex marriage, which was recently legalised in France.

09:50 23 May 2013

78-year-old French historian Dominique Venner let the whole world how he felt about the legalisation of same-sex marriage in France. On Tuesday, the far-right activist decided to take his own life after he wrote a blog post condemning the recently passed law.

 

His blog reads: "New spectacular and symbolic actions are needed to wake up the sleepwalkers and shake the anaesthetised consciousness.”

 

"We are entering a time when acts must follow words."

 

According to local reports, Dominique went inside the church and shot himself through the mouth after putting a letter on the altar. During the incident, there were approximately 1,500 visitors at Notre Dame Cathedral, which is one of the most visited Catholic churches in Paris. The visitors were quickly evacuated.

 

France is the ninth country in Europe and the 14th globally to legalise same-sex marriage. It is considered one of the most debated in recent history as the parliament and senate spent more than 172 hours of heated debate before the bill became law on Saturday.