Macron to continue tour despite slap
Print Edition
French President Emmanuel Macron will continue to greet crowds during his travels despite a security scare that saw him slapped by a man in the south of France, a government spokesman said yesterday.
Macron shrugged off his assault on Tuesday in the village of Tain l鈥橦ermitage, calling it an 鈥渋solated event鈥 and 鈥渟tupidity,鈥 and he went to chat with and fistbump onlookers later in the day in the nearby town of Valence.
鈥淥bviously his trips are going to continue: the president will remain in contact with the French public,鈥 government spokesman Gabriel Attal said yesterday.
鈥淚t would be completely incomprehensible for people to be deprived of contact with the president because of an isolated individual who wanted to challenge him,鈥 Attal added.
Macron鈥檚 assailant, a 28-year-old man identified as Damien T, remained in police custody yesterday and is expected to be charged with assaulting a public figure, which carries a maximum three-year prison term.
He has been described as a fan of medieval martial arts and board games, while the French media raked over his social media activity looking for clues to his political sympathies.
He is a subscriber to several far-right YouTube channels.
Popular evening talk show Le Quotidien aired footage of one of its journalists meeting Damien T and friends earlier in the day on Tuesday.
One of the friends, who says he identifies with the anarchist movement, explains that they have come to speak to Macron about the 鈥渄ecline of France.鈥
Police sources said that Damien T had no criminal record and friends and acquaintances expressed surprise at his actions, describing him as a shy and placid character.
The slap has led to debate about whether it is safe for Macron to continue spontaneous meetings with members of the public.
The centrist began a nationwide tour of France last week, promising to 鈥渢ake the pulse鈥 of the country a fortnight before regional elections and 10 months before a presidential vote.
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