Mixed Emotions

Surreal

French President Emmanuel Macron was working a crowd line, and someone in the crowd slapped the crap out of him.

At first, I thought that this was the feel good story of the day, because Macron has serious  Backpfeifengesicht.^*

Unfortunately, this man who slapped him is someone who is in serious need of a kick in the ass.

Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face by a man during a walkabout in southern France.

The president’s security detail immediately pulled the man to the ground and moved Macron away from the crowd, though the president appeared unhurt and determined to continue meeting the public.

Afterwards, the French leader said the assault was “an isolated act” that should be “put into perspective”.

“We mustn’t let ultra-violent individuals take over the public debate … There can be no violence, no hatred, not in speech or action. Otherwise it’s democracy itself that is threatened.”

A video of the incident showed the president, in a white shirt and tie, approach onlookers waiting behind metal barriers at Tain-l’Hermitage in the Drôme department.

Macron, wearing a mask, is seen reaching out to shake hands with a man in a green T-shirt wearing glasses and a mask.

Reuters reported the man was heard shouting “à bas la Macronie” (down with Macronism) before he grabbed the president’s right arm and delivered a slap to the left side of his face. He was also reported to have shouted “Montjoie Saint Denis”, the battle cry of the French armies when the country was a monarchy.

The guy was almost certainly a right wing racist French Royalist.  You know, the folks who still think that Albert Dreyfus was guilty, and they make Marine Le Pen (who, to her credit strongly condemned the attack) look like Rachel Maddow.

So, Macron gets slapped, and this douche bag ends up in the slam for a few months.

I can live with that, I guess.

^*It's German for, "A face that begs to be slapped.