78 Year Old Man Commits Suicide in Protest to Gay Marriage

Reported by: Joel Noe

Source: France24 | France
First Reported by: Jean Luc Sanna | France


A writer known for his far-right views committed suicide in the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Tuesday, prompting authorities to evacuate the building.

Dominique Venner, the author of many history essays that often decried immigration in France and the decline of European civilizations, was 78 years old.

Police sources say he shot himself in front of the altar of the famous church in the early afternoon, pulling out a pistol and putting it in his mouth, before pulling the trigger.

Venner’s last post on his website, published earlier in the day, appeared to indicate that his dramatic suicide was a way to protest against a recent law legalizing gay marriage in France.

He called on people to join a protest on May 26 against the controversial law.

"It is here and now that our destiny is at stake. This second is as important as the rest of a life. That is why it is important to be yourself until the last moment,” he wrote.

Notre Dame, which this year is celebrating its 850th anniversary, is one of the biggest destinations for tourists visiting the French capital.

The cathedral contained around 1,500 visitors at the time of the suicide, all of whom were then evacuated without incident, said France’s Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who visited Notre Dame following the incident.

“I can only imagine the shock for these people, both faithful and tourists,” he said.

“Notre Dame … is one of the biggest symbols of the capital and the country and we can only imagine the impact that this [act] will have.”

It was the second dramatic suicide in less than a week in Paris, after a 50-year-old man with a history of family problems shot himself dead Thursday in a primary school near the Eiffel Tower, in front of about a dozen stunned children.

Venner’s suicide was later hailed as a political gesture by National Front leader Marine Le Pen.

"All respect to Dominique Venner whose final, eminently political act was to try to wake up the people of France," Le Pen said on Twitter, though she added later that "it is in life and hope that France will renew and save itself".

Bruno Gollnisch, a senior National Front figure and member of the European Parliament also paid tribute to Venner, referring to him as an “extremely brilliant intellectual”.

"I think his dramatic gesture is a protest against the decadence of our society," Gollnisch told BFM TV.

In a final essay on his website, Venner railed against France's adoption of a "vile law" legalizing gay marriage and adoption.

The gay marriage bill has sparked numerous protests in France, with many on the right bitterly opposed to the act. The bill was finally signed into law by President François Hollande on Sunday.

Venner also denounced immigration from North Africa which, he said, was the real "peril", calling on activists to take measures to protect "French and European identities".

In what appeared to be a reference to his suicide, Venner wrote: "There will certainly need to be new, spectacular, symbolic gestures to shake off the sleepiness... and re-awaken the memories of our origins."

"We are reaching a time when words must be backed up with acts," he added.

Venner fought for France in the 1954-62 Algerian War of Independence and was a member of the OAS (Secret Armed Organization), a short-lived paramilitary group that opposed Algeria's independence from France.

He went on to have a long career publishing right-wing essays, military histories and books on weaponry and hunting.