French President Macron vows to defy security fears after slap

French President Macron vows to defy security fears after slap

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will continue to greet crowds during his travels despite a security scare that saw him slapped by a man in the south of France, a government spokesman said yesterday. Macron shrugged off his assault on Tuesday in the village of Tain l'Hermitage, calling it an "isolated event“ and "stupidity“, and he went to chat with and fistbump onlookers later in the day in the nearby town of Valence. "Obviously his trips are going to continue: The president will remain in contact with the French public,“ government spokesman Gabriel Attal said yesterday.

"It would be completely incomprensible for people to be deprived of contact with the president because of an isolated individual who wanted to challenge“ him, Attal added. Macron's assailant, a 28-year-old man identified as Damien T., remained in police custody yesterday and is expected to be charged with assaulting a public figure, which carries a maximum three-year prison term. He has been described as a fan of medieval martial arts and board games, while the French media raked over his social media activity looking for clues to his political sympathies.

He is a subscriber to several far-right YouTube channels. Popular evening talkshow Le Quotidien aired footage