Dominique Venner, 78, walked into Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris at 4pm on Tuesday and shot himself through the mouth after posting a rant against France’s recent legalization of gay marriage, which he called vile.
Venner, a far right activist and historian, left a letter before committing suicide, but its contents and his motives are still unknown. However, Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right Front National, said his death was an “eminently political” gesture.
Earlier that day, Venner had written on his blog that more radical action was needed to oppose same-sex marriage in France and had urged people to join a rally against it this Sunday.
Some students and a teacher from a private school witnessed Venner’s suicide and are being treated by psychologists. The rest of Notre Dame’s 1,500 visitors were quickly evacuated. Monsignor Patrick Jacquin, the Cathedral’s rector, told The Guardian this was the first suicide in decades at the 850-year-old cathedral, which is visited by some 13 million people each year.
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Last month, France became the 14th nation to legalize gay marriage, though it has been a contentious and highly divisive issue involving demonstrations, protests and occasional violence. The first gay marriage is scheduled to take place in Montpellier on 29 May between Vincent Autin, 40, who works in the tourist office, and Bruno Boileau, 30, a public sector employee.
Photo: Wikipedia
1EqualityUSA
Au revoir, le sectarisme. Poison would have been more considerate for the dear housekeepers.
Ron Jackson
What a jerk. Good riddance.
Spike
Only if more opposed to marriage equality would do the same.
viveutvivas
He won’t be mourned.
2eo
Bon débarras vous traître baise.
I wish we executed his parents as enemies of democracy after what these Vichy scum did to our allied soldiers.
LaTeesha
Won’t be missed. Good riddance.
tallskin2
LOL I love the Fenem protest today in notre dame!
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/22/topless-femen-activist-fake-gun-notre-dame-cathedral-dominique-venner-suicide_n_3319355.html?ref=topbar
A Femen activist has been arrested after carrying out a topless protest in Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral.
With the words “May facists rest in hell”, the woman – referred to on the Femen Facebook page as “the angel of death” was photographed pointing a fake gun into her mouth.
The protest comes a day after far-right activist Dominique Venner committed suicide in the famous cathedral.
Good for her
Darling Nikki
If only others WOULD take this freak’s lead. I guess he won’t be popping off anymore.
And besides, he guaranteed himself a one way ticket to hell where he’d be surrounded by heathens. We all know the pixie in the sky frowns heavily on suicide, especially in its cathedrals no less…ahh, what a way to seal your fate.
NormdePlume
One less asshole in this world.
swampopus
Good lord, talk about a sore loser.
2eo
@tallskin2: That is awesome. Absolutely awesome, Thank you tallskin2.
tardis
Oh, wow. This is very extreme. I feel for him, but to commit suicide over something like this says more about him than gay marriage itself.
jwrappaport
Might you say that fellow is history?
Boom.
Ogre Magi
One less christian to screw us over
mcflyer54
Wow, what a stupid Catholic. According to his religion his suicide has assured him of an eternity in Hell. Not the brightest bulb in the chandelier I’d say. Obviously the man had mental issues far exceeding this disgust of marriage equality.
gjg64
Bon Voyage!!
Jerry12
Could it be that he was afraid of being outed? His picture does not look like the most “Butch” person on the block.
mada
I only feel pity for someone like that, not happiness. (Though I’m sure he would not accept my pity). He could have finished his life happily, knowing that he could learn to accept people. Instead, his own misguided beliefs led him astray and permitted his own suicide. He honestly felt as if he was a martyr.
He probably studied history and based his beliefs in what history “taught” him. We all know that historical and biblical texts have been susceptible to bias. He clearly could not accept the change in history.
DMingledorff
Dreadfully inconsiderate but what a role model
shle896
Good riddance and Buh-Bye.
Eiswirth
My guess is it was his religious beliefs at the root of his convictions. How fitting he killed himself in Church. Now it literally has blood on its hands.
sfbeast
So deeply in the closet he was afraid of being outed by all the gay marriages taking place. Good bye and good riddance.
viveutvivas
French culture seems to have a deeply vitriolic and unsavory underbelly. I can’t recall anything similar to the recent protests, and now this, occurring in any of the other countries where gay marriage has been approved.
Damich
Well bravo Mr Venner! What a gentleman to more quickly and efficiently take himself out… Lets hope his followers find such a solution… Lol.. ridding the world of such over zealous trash who was so delusional as to not see that in-and-of-itself suicide is a grievous sin…right?…or so his church believes. Haha what an idiot. Kills himself to make a statement but ends up showing his hypocrisy in full regalia. These people…. people like him who believe as he does (be it to a great or small extent) are constantly ‘sinning’ and cherry picking the Bible to bring about their own sinning to hate on gays and its nice to see that thought process and medieval ideology self destructing. Thank you Mr Venner…BRAVO. HYPOCRISY on the world show stage for all to see not lost on the over drama of shooting your brains out in a holy place to the horror of families watching. Suuuure…that’s what Jesus would of done. No no….it’s not too twisted to think and hope the self elimination (in a more peaceful private way) of such people be it their life or thought should also find its own demise through self thought and action. It’s like hitting the ‘Self Clean’ button on the Earth. JOY! …Lets hope his followers chuck themselves and/or their bigoted thinking into the fire and do the world a favor. You’ve lost the hate war cloaked in the holy… be gone in mind spirit and/or body.