A news report revealed that a man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron during a public event has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the execution has been suspended for 14 months.
BFMTV reported from the courtroom in Valence that the ruling included a ban on the 28-year-old from holding any public office or possessing any weapons.
Damien Te slapped 43-year-old President Macron on Tuesday during a visit to Taine-el-Hermitage, south of Lyon. The incident, caught on camera, caused stupor across the country.
In court, the 28-year-old did not deny that he slapped President Macron, according to the television station, and said he was a victim of injustice.
The television station quoted him as saying that Macron supports the retreat of France. Previously, he said, he had also thought of throwing an egg or a pie to Macron.
Macron spoke about the incident in a television interview today, Thursday, stressing that it was an "individual incident" and continued his talk about violence against women and commented that there were "moments of great tension in our country", for example during the "yellow vest" protests.
About a year before the national elections, and less than two weeks before the regional elections, Macron is touring the country to meet voters.
