Video shows a man slapping French President Emmanuel Macron in the face. 2 people have been arrested.

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Video shows a man slapping French President Emmanuel Macron in the face. 2 people have been arrested.
French President Emmanuel Macron talks with cooking students, Tuesday June 8, 2021 at the Hospitality school in Tain-l'Hermitage, southeastern France.Philippe Desmazes, Pool via AP
  • Two people were arrested on Tuesday after a man slapped French President Emmanuel Macron.
  • A video of the altercation circulated on Twitter.
  • According to a Reuters report, the man shouted "à bas la Macronie." That's a more disrespectful way of saying "down with Macron."
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Two people were arrested on Tuesday after a man slapped French President Emmanuel Macron in the face, according to Reuters.

Video of the incident posted to Twitter showed Macron speaking to a man clad in a green t-shirt as he walked outside and met with people standing behind a short fence in the Drome region of southeastern France.

Footage shows the man shouting "à bas la Macronie." That's a more disrespectful way of saying "down with Macron."

He also pulled Macron closer toward him before taking a swipe.

Macron's security team is seen tackling the man to the ground and pulling Macron away from the crowd.

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The news was first reported by the local news outlets BFMTV and RMC radio, according to Reuters.

Two arrests were made at the scene, according to BFMTV and France Inter.

Macron's number two, French Prime Minister Jean Castex, described the incident as a "jolt" to the Republic.

"There is no room for violence in politics, verbal harassment, and even less so for physical aggression," Castex said in a statement.

Macron called for "calm and respect" following the slap, according to BFMTV, and warned of democracy becoming increasingly fragile.

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With a new presidential election coming in 2022, tensions have recently risen within French politics.

Jean-Luc Mélanchon, one of the candidates and leader of the far-left France Insoumise group in the National Assembly, recently predicted "a major incident or murder" will take place in the last week of the election so that Macron can be reelected, claiming the public would "point the finger at Muslims."

Mélanchon was condemned by other politicians for escalating tensions in response to a viral video from a far-right YouTuber simulating the capture and assassination of a lawmaker.

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