Two people have been arrested after French President, Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face by a man in a crowd today, during a public appearance.
A video footage of the incident in south-eastern France shows a man in a green T-shirt and glasses shout: Down with Macronia in French, which is the battle cry of the French armies when the country was still a monarchy, before slapping the president in the face.
Security for Macron quickly tackled the man to the ground, and moved the president away to safety.
Macron is currently visiting the Drome region in south-eastern France to speak with students, restauranteurs and small business owners about the return to normal life after the pandemic. The president had just come out of a professional high school that trains students to work in the hospitality industry when the incident took place.
French Prime Minister, Jean Castex described the incident as an affront to democracy. Shortly after the incident, he told the National Assembly that while democracy meant debate and legitimate disagreement, it must never, in any case, mean violence, verbal aggression and physical attack.
The presidential administration said there had been an attempt to strike Macron, but did not comment further.
The identity of the man who slapped the French president remains unknown, as do his motives.
The attack follows mounting concerns in France about violence targeting elected officials, particularly after the often violent ‘yellow vest’ economic protest movement, which repeatedly clashed with riot officers in 2019.
Village mayors and politicians have been among those targeted by physical assaults, death threats and harassment.
But Frances well-protected Head of State has been spared until now,
