French President Emmanuel Macron has been slapped by a man in a crowd — who yelled “down with Macron — as he spoke to the public during a visit to Southeast France.
In video circulating on social media, Mr Macron, dressed in shirt sleeves, could be seen walking towards a crowd of
well-wishers who were behind a metal barrier.
The president reached out his hand to greet one man, in a green T-Shirt, with glasses and a face mask.
The man, while gripping Macron’s arm, then slapped the president across his left cheek.
The man could be heard shouting out “down with Macronia” (“a bas la Macronie”) before then delivering a slap to Mr Macron’s face.
The president’s security entourage quickly intervened to pull the man to the ground and move Mr Macron away from him.
They confirmed that a man had attempted to slap him.
Mr Macron is visiting the Drome region to meet restaurateurs and students to talk about how life is returning to normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He carried on talking to someone behind the barriers for a short time before moving away.
The identity of the man and his motives were unclear.
While slapping the president, he could be heard shouting “Montjoie Saint Denis,” which was the battle cry of the French armies when the country was still a monarchy.
Two people have been arrested, a source told BFM TV.
Watch video below:
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