VALENCE, France (MANDYNEWS) — An 28-year-old medieval combat enthusiast from France has been sentenced to four months in prison in a European country after slapping President Emmanuel Macron in the face on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
Damien Tarel, whose Instagram page described him as a historic European martial arts enthusiast, attacked the president of France while shouting “Montjoie and Saint-Denis! Down with Macronism”, using an esoteric medieval battle-cry.
In the video obtained by MANDY NEWS, the attacker can be seen slapping the French president left cheek and his bodyguards pushing the man away during a quick meet-and-greet with members of the public, who were kept back behind traffic barriers in the winemaking town of Tain-l’Hermitage.
He appeared in court in Valence wearing the same green T-shirt he wore yesterday during his arrest.
During his trial, Tarel claimed that the attack on the president was unpremeditated and unplanned, and provoked by anger at France’s “decline.”
The court in the southeastern city of Valence convicted him on a charge of violence against a person invested with public authority. He was sentenced to four months in prison and handed an additional 14-month suspended sentence.
