French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face during an official visit to south-eastern France. The accused man will be tried this Thursday. What risks the man who attacked the head of state?
In a video circulating on social networks, Mr Macron was seen walking to a barrier during a trip to Tain-l’Hermitage outside the city of Valence.
A man in a green T-shirt slaps Mr Macron in the face before officers quickly intervene. The president was then taken far away.
Two men were arrested following the incident, French media report.
President Macron then called it an “isolated event”.
The French political class spontaneously condemned this act. At the National Assembly, everyone stood up and applauded, while Prime Minister Jean Castex estimated that “politics can in no way be violence, verbal aggression, and even less physical aggression. . I call for a republican start, we are all concerned, it is about the foundations of our democracy”.
The rebellious Jean-Luc Mélenchon reacted very quickly on social networks, by trying to link this act to the controversy that currently affects him. “This time you begin to understand that the violent take action?” He asked. “I stand in solidarity with the President”.