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On October 9, 2025, the grave of former French Justice Minister Robert Badinter was vandalized in Bagneux, near Paris, hours before his induction into the Pantheon. President Macron condemned the desecration, stating the Republic is stronger than hatred. Badinter, who died in 2024, is celebrated for abolishing the death penalty and decriminalizing homosexuality in France. The graffiti targeted these achievements. His cenotaph, containing symbolic items, will reside in the Pantheon alongside other French heroes like Voltaire and Marie Curie, while his body will remain in Bagneux cemetery. Paris has reported the vandalism to the prosecutor’s office.
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Item 1 of 5 A police officer carries a barricade by the gravesite at Bagneux cemetery, after the grave of former French justice minister Robert Badinter was vandalised, on the day of his induction into the Pantheon, in Bagneux, near Paris, France, October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
“Shame on those who sought to tarnish his memory. Tonight, he will enter the Pantheon, the eternal home of conscience and justice. The Republic is always stronger than hatred,” Macron wrote on social media platform X.
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The Pantheon is a central Paris mausoleum where some of France’s most prominent national heroes are buried.
The graffiti that desecrated his tomb in Bagneux, a town just south of Paris, targeted his legacy on both the death penalty and the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Bagneux Mayor Marie-Helene Amiable said.
The city of Paris has reported the desecration to the prosecutor’s office, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on social media site Bluesky.
In the Pantheon, Badinter’s cenotaph will join the likes of philosopher Voltaire, writer Victor Hugo and scientists Pierre and Marie Curie in the monument’s vast, vaulted crypt, which has been used to host the remains of great figures since 1791.
The cenotaph will contain his legal gown, three books that he cherished, and a copy of his most famous speech, the Élysée Palace said.
Badinter’s body will remain in the Jewish section of the Bagneux cemetery.
Writing by Dominique Vidalon and Ingrid Melander; editing by Inti Landauro, Sharon Singleton and Mark Heinrich
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