By ROSS IBBETSON and PETER ALLEN FOR MAILONLINE
Emmanuel Macron was slapped across the face and told to ‘f*** off’ as he greeted voters during a walkabout in France today.
The assailant took the French President by the arm, appearing to stop him for a chat, before shouting: ‘Down with Macronia’ (‘A Bas La Macronie’) as he struck his face.
Bodyguards quickly seized upon the man and bundled him to the ground before dragging him away, as a member of Macron’s security detail pulled the president to safety.
A few seconds later Macron returned to the barriers to get a word in, although it was unclear what he was saying. He then continued to shake people’s hands while a bodyguard stood between him and the crowd.
Two men were arrested following the incident outside a culinary school in the village of Tain-l’Hermitage in the Drome region where Macron had been meeting students to discuss how life is returning to normal after the Covid restrictions were eased.
The attack represents a serious security breach and overshadows the start of Macron’s ‘Tour de France’ which he said was designed to ‘take the pulse of the nation.’
‘Around 1.15pm, the president got back into his car after visiting a high school and came back out because onlookers were calling out to him,’ the regional prefecture said in a statement.
‘He went to meet them and that’s where the incident happened.’
No motive was given but a police spokesman said that one of the men arrested ‘described himself as an anarchist.’
Some of Macron’s fiercest political rivals swiftly came to his defence, including Marine Le Pen who called the violence ‘intolerable.’
Le Pen, who is hoping to topple the 43-year-old in next year’s election, told a press conference: ‘It is inadmissible to physically attack the President of the Republic. I am the first opponent of Emmanuel Macron, but he is the president. We can fight him politically, but we cannot allow the slightest violence towards him.’
Jean-Luc Melenchon, of the left-wing La France Insoumise group, tweeted: ‘I stand in solidarity with the President.’
Just a few minutes after the incident, Macron’s ally, Prime Minister Jean Castex, took the floor of the National Assembly where he warned of attacks on ‘the foundations of democracy.’
Former President Francois Hollande tweeted: ‘To attack the President of the Republic is to deal an unbearable and intolerable blow to our institutions. Faced with this unspeakable gesture, the whole Nation must show solidarity with the Head of State. In these circumstances, I address all my support to Emmanuel Macron.’
In videos circulating on social media, Macron, dressed in shirt sleeves and wearing a face mask, could be seen walking towards a crowd of well-wishers who were behind a metal barrier outside the culinary school.
The French president reached out his hand to greet one man, in a green T-Shirt, with glasses and a face mask.
‘Mr Macron appeared very relaxed and thought he was getting a good reception from those watching him,’ said an eye-witness.
‘He was outside a catering school when he stuck his right hand towards a man who promptly grabbed it. Then the man slapped the President in the face, before Mr Macron was pulled away by security guards.’
There were shouts of ‘get lost a*******’ and ‘f*** off’ from the crowd as Macron was bundled away.
Two of Macron’s security detail tackled the man in the green T-shirt, while another ushered Macron away.
Macron was in the south east French département of Drôme as part of his ‘Tour de France’ which he said was designed to ‘take the pulse of the nation’ – it is widely seen as the beginning of his bid for re-election in 2022
Macron has undertaken several other tours since his 2017 electoral triumph over the traditional parties of government on the left and right. Pictured: The French President poses for selfies in the streets of Valence