The man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron in the face on Monday has been jailed.
Damien Tarel, 28, appeared in court in Valence charged with violence against a person invested with public authority. He was jailed for four months and given an additional 14-month suspended sentence. He was also banned from ever holding public office and from owning weapons for five years.
According to AFP, Tarel identified himself in court as a right-wing “patriot” and a member of the Yellow Jackets protest movement and appeared in court wearing the same green T-shirt he wore on the day of his arrest.
Asked why he had attacked the president when Macron was on a visit to the southeastern town of Tain-l’Hermitage, Tarel said he had thought about throwing an egg or cream tart, but insisted he had not considered slapping Macron and acted on impulse.
“When I saw his friendly, lying look, which sought me out as a voter, I was filled with disgust,” he was reported as saying to the court.