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| French historian kills himself at Notre Dame Cathedral after gay marriage rant | French historian kills himself at Notre Dame Cathedral after gay marriage rant |
| (37 minutes later) | |
| Paris police have evacuated Notre Dame Cathedral after a former far-right activist killed himself in front of its main altar. | Paris police have evacuated Notre Dame Cathedral after a former far-right activist killed himself in front of its main altar. |
| The man, Dominique Venner, 78, a historian known in France for his political essays, was carrying a letter but made no declaration before shooting himself through the mouth, the source said. | The man, Dominique Venner, 78, a historian known in France for his political essays, was carrying a letter but made no declaration before shooting himself through the mouth, the source said. |
| A note posted on his blog on Tuesday criticised a law passed by the Socialist government last week legalising same-sex marriage. | A note posted on his blog on Tuesday criticised a law passed by the Socialist government last week legalising same-sex marriage. |
| Notre Dame is one of the capital's most popular tourist attractions, with about 13 million visitors a year. | |
| The suicide was the first in decades at the site, according to Monsignor Patrick Jacquin, the cathedral's rector. "It's unfortunate, it's dramatic, it's shocking," he said. The motives for the death, and the contents of the man's letter, were unclear. | |
| Police ushered people out of the building after the shooting, the interior minister, Manuel Valls said. "We call for compassion," he added. | |
| School groups have been queuing on Tuesday evening to enter the cathedral, which was expected to reopen for an evening service that officials said would include a prayer for Venner. | |
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