DROME: French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped across the face by a man during his meet and greet with members in Tain-l’Hermitage town on Tuesday.
In the viral clip of the incident, the attacker can be seen grabbing his arm in a bid to hold him. The man, Damien Tarel, who slapped the 43-year-old French leader turned out to be a fan of Austrian-born German dictator Adolf Hitler as weapons along with a copy of Mein Kampf [manifesto by Nazi Party] were found at his residence, police officials claimed.
Macron came with all that agility and stamina to receive Slap pic.twitter.com/GyVzfRDn6v
— Noble 🔴 (@Noble_Hassan) June 8, 2021
Police officials further revealed that the long-haired, bespectacled attacker lives with his mother. Investigations revealed he managed a local martial arts club.
Tarel was bundled to the ground by president security personnel while the attacker after hitting the French premier can be heard chanting ‘Montjoie Saint Denis’ –that means Down with Macronia.
The Law enforcer who searched his residence further added that they have recovered a Soviet flag, fantasy novels, military simulation games along with comics. A report of a British newspaper citing police personnel said the attacker seemed to be an ‘anarchist’.
The 28-year-old attacker was detained with an accomplice, who is identified as Arthur C. Reports cited that the duo traveled from their hometown Saint-Vallier to the village where Macron was greeting the public. He is likely to get three years in prison and a fine equivalent to some £40,000.
Interestingly, Mr. Macron, a few minutes before the assault, appealed for peace across France and urged masses to respect one another. The attack is not the first time that Mr. Macron has been attacked by angry civilians while out in public.
Earlier in July last year, the French premier along with his better half-faced verbal abuse by a group of protesters in central Paris. Macron was also egged by Communist Party members outside a post office in the Paris suburb of Montreuil before he got the presidency.
Macron is not the first statesman to be subjected to a political attack that escalated to a physical one. Former US President George Bush, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, ex California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, New Mexico mayoral candidate, and a few more faced heat from the public.
