French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped across the face on Tuesday by a man during an official visit to the Drome region in south-eastern France.
A video circulating on Twitter shows a man shout “Down with Macronia” in the French language before slapping Macron’s face during a public walkabout in Tain-l’Hermitage outside the city of Valence.
The security officers quickly intervened and pulled away the president. Two people were arrested in connection with the incident, reported international media.
President Macron later termed it an “isolated event”.
“We must not let ultra-violent people take over the public debate: they do not deserve it,” he told French newspaper Le Dauphiné.
French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped across the face by a man during a trip to southeast France on Tuesday. Macron approached a barrier to shake hands with a man who slapped the 43-year-old across the face in the village of Tain-l´Hermitage in the Drome region. pic.twitter.com/tk8VYwMo5m
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) June 8, 2021
In the video Macron briefly returned to the barrier after the incident and once again interacted with people in the crowd.
“I continued and I will continue,” he later told Le Dauphiné. “Nothing will stop me.”
The incident took place while Macron was on a visit in south-eastern France, where he met restaurateurs and students to discuss how life is returning to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic.
