A court sentenced the man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron to four months in prison, BFM TV reports.
The court sentenced 28-yr-old Damien Tarel, a fan of medieval fencing and martial arts, to 18 months in prison, with 14 months suspended, reports BFM TV.
Tarel had previously said in court in Valence, southern France, that he was a right-wing sympathiser who acted because the President stood up for everything that was wrong in France, the TV station said, presumably mass immigration.
Tarel slapped Macron when the French President shook hands with citizens as he walked through Drôme in France.
The accused said he thought about throwing an egg or cream cake a few days before the President’s visit to the region, but added that the slap was not premeditated, it was spontaneous.
“I think that Macron represents very neatly the decay of our country,” he told the court, “If I had challenged Macron to a duel at sunrise, I doubt he would have responded.”, reports BFM TV.
Macron described the attack as an isolated incident, saying violence and hatred are a threat to democracy. His office did not respond to a request for comment on Tarel’s statements in the courtroom.
Tarel was accused of assaulting an officer, an offense punishable by a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.
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