A right-wing historian shot himself dead in front of hundreds of tourists at the altar of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris today, apparently in protest at France’s legalization of same-sex marriage.
Dominique Venner, who had recently been campaigning against gay marriage in France, is said to have calmly walked past the crowds milling around the 850-year-old Cathedral, one of the most popular tourist sites in the world, before taking out an automatic pistol.
The 78-year-old put the gun in his mouth and fired before collapsing on to the altar, according to French media reports.
Venner had recently been involved in the campaign against the government’s decision to legalize gay marriage. On Saturday, President Francois Hollande signed the bill legalizing same-sex marriage into law.
Police said Venner had made no statement before killing himself, although a note was found next to his body. They did not disclose its contents.
Venner, an ultra-right wing Catholic, was known to be extremely angry after Hollande signed the law allowing same-sex marriage across France.
Earlier today, 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 anaesthetized consciousness,” he wrote. “We are entering a time when acts must follow words.”
Many of those who witnessed today’s carnage are expected to be treated by psychiatrists specializing in sudden trauma.
