French police barricade the entrance to Paris Notre Dame Cathedral after the suicide on May 21, 2013.
A French man has committed suicide inside Parisâ„¢ landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in protest at what he called the decay of the Western society.
Police confirmed that Dominique Venner, an award-winning essayist, shot himself in front of the alter of the church after leaving behind a letter denouncing gay marriage and saying new spectacular actions are needed to wake up the nation.
“I believe it is necessary to sacrifice myself to break with the lethargy that is overwhelming us,” Venner wrote in his letter and continued, “I am killing myself to awaken slumbering consciences.”
At the time of the shooting, the cathedral had about 1,500 visitors who were evacuated without incident.
Franceâ„¢s far-right Front National party leader Marine Le Pen says the suicide was a political gesture.
The Tuesday shooting came only four days after another unusual suicide in central Paris, when a 50-year-old man shot himself in front of a dozen schoolchildren at a private Catholic primary school.
On May 18, French President Francois Hollande signed into law a bill legalizing gay marriages and child adoption by same-sex couples. The law was approved despite a huge number of protests against the legalization.
CAH/PR
This article originally appeared on : Press TV