Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Court French sentenced Damien Tarel to four months in prison, the man who slapped the President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (8/6).
In reading the verdict on Thursday (10/6), the judge stated that his party received a recommendation from the prosecutor to imprison Tarel for 18 months. But according to him, four months of detention is also enough.
At trial, Tarel admitted to “acting without thinking” when he slapped Macron after waiting for the president’s visit in front of a school in Tain-l’Hermitage.
Tarel also claimed to be sympathetic to the “yellow vest” movement in his country. As an unemployed man whose life depends on his lover, Tarel considers Macron to do nothing for his well-being.
“Macron symbolizes the decline of this country,” Tarel said at the trial, as reported by AFP.
Tarel thinks Macron’s visit this week to his region is just a way to get people’s attention ahead of next year’s general election.
As Macron walked towards the crowd with a smile, Tarel couldn’t contain his anger.
“When I noticed his friendly face, I realized that he wanted to turn me into someone who would vote for him,” said Tarel.
He said that the slap was the result of his emotional outburst.
“I was flooded with feelings of injustice,” he said.
After hearing Tarel’s explanation, the court ordered Tarel to look for work or join a training program. The judge also barred Tarel from carrying any weapons for the next five years.
Meanwhile, Macron himself considered that this incident could not be considered normal. However, he did not give up on visiting the residents.
“You will get used to seeing hate on social media so that everything has become normal. When you are face to face with the person, you feel normal. That is unacceptable,” Macron said.
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