The Mont Valerien monument in Suresnes, west of Paris, was vandalised with “Anti Pass” painted in large letters, with the style of the double-s reminiscent of that used by Nazis for their SS inscriptions, authorities said.

Honte à ceux qui sont venus, de nuit, profaner le #Mémorial de la France combattante, avec des relents nauséabonds. Au-delà de l’acte condamnable, personne ne confondra le combat courageux livré par celles et ceux que ce Mémorial honore et les intentions des auteurs de ce tag. pic.twitter.com/piE1vguBbJ

— GBoudy-Suresnes (@GBoudy92150) December 13, 2021

The inscription on the monument – which was inaugurated in 1960 by then-president Charles de Gaulle – is 50m long, they said.

Macron called the act, “an insult to the memory of our heroes and the memory of the nation”.

In a tweet, he said that “to sully this sacred place of the republic is to violate what unites us. The perpetrators will be found and put on trial.”

Les dégradations commises au Mont Valérien sont une insulte à la mémoire de nos Héros et à la mémoire de la Nation. Souiller ce lieu sacré de la République, c'est porter atteinte à ce qui nous unit. Les auteurs seront retrouvés puis jugés.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 13, 2021

France requires a health pass, which demonstrates proof of vaccination, Covid recovery or a negative test result, for access to restaurants and cafes, public transport and cultural venues, a requirement that sparked major protests last summer.

The government is pushing for a fast rollout of booster shots in an effort to avoid another lockdown, amid a fifth wave of infections and concerns over the new Omicron variant.

It has also said the pass will lapse after seven months for anyone who fails to get a booster shot.