Macron’s slap man “subscribed to far-right YouTube channels” Emmanuel Macron News

Damien Tarel was a 28-year-old suspect who slapped the French president during a walk, a moment that has gone viral on social media.

The man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron has subscribed to several far-right YouTube channels and is a fan of the medieval sword, media research and sources close to the investigation said on Wednesday.

A police source said the suspect was 28-year-old Damien Tarel, who had no previous record.

He continued his investigation under police custody on Wednesday and will be charged with assaulting a public figure with a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros (nearly $ 55,000).

Macron, who was on a tour after the pandemic to take the pulse of the country and a year before the next presidential election, was struck on Tuesday on a tour of southern France when he greeted a small crowd of spectators.

The amateur video of the attack soon spread on social media.

Tarel, wearing a khaki T-shirt, is seen slapping Macron and then shouting “Down Macronia” and “Montjoie, Saint-Denis,” a battle cry of the French army at a time when the country was a monarchy.

A source close to the investigation described Tarel as someone who was “a little lost, a little geeky, a little player”.

He managed a club of martial arts enthusiasts focused on the practice of European martial arts, including the traditional sword.

‘Isolated event’

Macron said he was not afraid for his safety, and continued to shake hands with people after the hit.

In an interview with the Dauphine Libere newspaper after a slap in the face, Macron called the incident an “isolated event” and “stupid.”

“You cannot be violent or hateful in speech or action. Otherwise, it is democracy itself that is threatened, ”he said.

Previously Macron had been disenchanted with the citizens.

In 2016, when he was economy minister, hard-left trade unionists laid eggs as a result of labor reforms and were shaken two years later by anti-government protesters.

A government spokesman said on Wednesday that the French president would continue to greet the crowd on trips despite fears of security.

“Of course, his travels will continue: the president will continue to liaise with the French public,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.

“It would be completely incomprehensible for people to be stripped of their relationship with the president (because of an isolated individual who wanted to challenge him”), Attal added.