French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face by a member of public during his visit to a small town. As a result, two man have been arrested by the police.
According to a spokesman for the National Gendarmerie, the two man were arrested after the incident, which took place during Macron’s visit to a school in southeast France. A video of the incident has also emerged which is being widely shared on the social media.
Macron’a Valence şehri dışındaki bir tren istasyonunda vatandaşlardan biri tokat attı. Konuyla ilgili iki kişi tutuklandı. pic.twitter.com/QVrn9QIxpV
— Kasım İleri (@kasimileri_) June 8, 2021
In the video, President Macron can be seen meeting and greeting the general public who were gathered on the other side of the metal fence. A man wearing green t-shirt and white mask, who was the closest person in the crowd, was approached by Macron. He first held hands with him, and when the President was to move ahead to meet other people, the man slapped him on the face. The man also yelled, “down with Macron”.
Macron’s guards immediately intervened and held the man then and there, while other guards took the President away from the crowd.
According to the reports, Macron’s visited the Tain-Hermitage school, which specializes in the restaurant industry, on the eve of the French government lifting restrictions on indoor dining and other measures implemented during the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, during the visit, Macron was scheduled to meet with restaurant industry representatives as well.
The Elysee stated to CNN, “A man indeed tried to hit the President of the Republic. We have no further comments at this point. Exchanges with the crowd and handshakes resumed. The trip continues.”
As of now, the two suspects are in custody and the case in under investigation with the French authorities. One of the two suspects (the man in green) has been arrested for slapping the President. However, the reason behind arresting the other man is yet to be announced. In other words, the role of the other man in this incident remains unclear.
