Emmanuel Macron was slapped by a man uttering the royalist war cry “Montjoie Saint Denis!” ”During a trip to Tain-l’Hermitage (Drôme) on Tuesday, a first during his five-year term, condemned by the entire political class.
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In a video posted on Twitter and authenticated by the entourage of the head of state, Mr. Macron is seen walking quickly from a group of people gathered behind barriers to greet them, before approaching a man wearing a khaki t-shirt, black beard and long hair.
Seizing the forearm of the president, the individual seems to strike him then on the cheek, the entourage of Mr. Macron evoking an “attempted slap”.
In this same video, just before the slap, the royalist war cry is shouted “Montjoie Saint Denis!” “, As well as” Down with macronie “.
Two people, including the author of the slap, were immediately arrested and were heard “by the Tain-L’Hermitage gendarmerie brigade,” said the prefecture of Drôme.
According to this source, the incident occurred “around 1:15 p.m.” after Mr. Macron visited the hotel school of Tain-l’Hermitage, where he discussed with actors of the restoration on the serious lack of hand is working in the sector, on the eve of the reopening of indoor restaurants.
From the start of the questions to the government in the National Assembly, the Prime Minister spoke to denounce this aggression. “Politics can never be violence, verbal aggression, much less physical aggression. I call for a republican start, we are all concerned, it is a question of the foundations of our democracy ”, declared Jean Castex.
The head of state continued his visit, shaking hands with those present for ten minutes, said the Elysee.
If he is sometimes taken to task verbally during his outings, or even booed and insulted with virulence as in 2018 by yellow vests in Puy-en-Velay, Mr. Macron had never been physically attacked since his arrival at the Elysee Palace .
“Solidarity”
A few minutes earlier, the president had called “everyone to respect and calm” so as not to weaken democracy. This exhortation came after the controversy triggered on Sunday by remarks by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, predicting “a serious incident or a murder” in the last week of the presidential campaign, but also after the video of death threats targeting LFI.
“This time you begin to understand that the violent take action? I stand in solidarity with the President, ”Mr. Mélenchon reacted on Twitter.
“I express all my solidarity with the President of the Republic”, continued the rebellious deputy Eric Coquerel, recalling having “been attacked in 2018 by people who said” Montjoie Saint-Denis “, of the French Action”.
Like the rebels, the entire political class immediately condemned the gesture.
“I consider this kind of behavior to be unacceptable” and “deeply condemnable in a democracy”, declared the leader of the National Rally Marine Le Pen.
“It is inadmissible to physically attack the President of the Republic, political leaders, but even more the president who is the President,” insisted Ms. Le Pen, traveling to Laxou (Meurthe-et-Moselle).
“To slap the President is to slap the Republic. Intolerable, unacceptable “, for his part estimated the boss of deputies LR Damien Abad, when Xavier Bertrand, president (ex-LR) of Hauts-de-France recalled that” respect for the institutions of the Republic and its representatives is a cardinal principle of our democratic life ”.
“It is very tense everywhere,” lamented the LREM deputy of Hérault Patrick Vignal, looking ahead to the next electoral deadlines. “I think this campaign stinks. And it is also because of the political staff. Nobody will come out a winner, ”he regretted.
