French court jails man who slapped President Macron
A 28-year-old Frenchman who recently slapped President Emmanuel Macron has been sentenced to four months in prison.
A French court in Valence, in southeast France, handed down an 18-month sentence, with 14 months suspended, French television reported.
Apart from jail term, Damien Tarel was further banned from ever holding public office in France and from owning weapons for five years over Tuesday’s incident.
According to the French Television, the court ordered the man to be imprisoned immediately.
The move by the court was seen as a tough punishment in France, where defendants are often allowed to remain free while they appeal a sentence.
During Thursday’s trial, Tarel testified that the attack was impulsive and unplanned and prompted by anger at France’s “decline.”
He said he was acting on behalf of the anti-establishment yellow vests movement, which arose in 2018 in opposition to Mr. Macron’s policies.
He described his political views as far-right, French news channel BFMTV reported.
On Tuesday, Macron, while greeting a cheering crowd standing a barrier in the town of Tain-l’Hermitage on the Rhone River, a man wearing a green T-shirt shouted, “Montjoie Saint-Denis! Down with Macron!” before slapping him.
Mr. Macron’s security service quickly intervened, pushing the man to the ground and pulling the president away.