Medieval Martial Arts Fan Who Slapped Emmanuel Macron Jailed for Four Months

A man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron in the face at an official event on Tuesday has been given a four-month prison sentence.

In a fast-track trial, medieval martial arts enthusiast Damien Tarel admitted to the attack, though he denied it was premeditated. Tarel, who described himself as an extreme-right “patriot” has been given an additional 14-month suspended sentence, banned from ever holding public office, and banned from owning a weapon for at least 5 years.

"I think that Macron represents very neatly the decay of our country," Tarel is reported to have told the court, according to the Associated Press. "If I had challenged Macron to a duel at sunrise, I doubt he would have responded."

Macron had been visiting Tain L’Hermitage, a municipality in southeast France earlier this week. During the visit, he gently jogged over to a group of gathered onlookers. When he reached Tarel, he reached out to shake the 28-year-old’s hand, only for the man to strike Macron in the face seconds later, as Tarel shouted the royalist slogan and battle cry "Montjoie Saint Denis!"

Tarel was quickly bundled to the ground by the president’s security detail and later arrested. A second man, who is believed to be an acquaintance of Tarel and is suspected to have been the one who filmed the attack, was also taken into custody later in the day. 

At the home of the second suspect, prosecutors found weapons as well as a copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. 

A year away from the next presidential election, Macron has promised that the incident won’t have any impact on any plans to engage with the public at his future events.