Macron comments on the incident of his slap... and France's politicians are in solidarity with him
French President Emmanuel Macron sought to play down the significance of Tuesday's slapping, saying that what happened was "isolated actions of very violent people".
A young French president was slapped in the face today during a visit to southeastern France on the second leg of his tour around the country.
The incident sparked outrage and condemnation from all parties.
"Politics cannot be based on violence, verbal attacks and physical assault," said Prime Minister Jean Castix, according to Agence France-Presse.
As for the leader of the far-right party, Marine Le Pen, denounced "an unacceptable and condemned behavior in a democratic system."
The leader of the radical left, Jean-Luc Melenchon, expressed his solidarity with the president.
The incident was filmed and posted on social networks. The scenes show Macron during his visit to the city of Tan-Lermitage in the province of Drôme, approaching a group of people gathered behind barricades. When Macron was about to shake hands with a man, the latter grabbed the president's arm and seemed to slap him. Macron's circles spoke of an "attempt to slap".
Macron's bodyguards quickly intervened. Two people were arrested following the trail, the 28-year-old man from the area, and another man of the same age, according to the Public Prosecution.
The Prosecutor of the Republic in Valence, Alex Biran, said that the two men are from the province and are "unknown by the judiciary," noting that their motives are still unknown.
The incident occurred while Macron was on a tour of France to "take the pulse" of the country, more than a year after the spread of the "Covid-19" epidemic. This was his second stop in a week.
The French president continued his visit and met in Valence, the province's largest city, with the crowds and took selfies with the townspeople, smiling and relaxed.
And last July, protesters attacked Macron and insulted him while he was walking with his wife Brigitte, accompanied by his bodyguards, in the Tuileries Garden near the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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