Man who slapped French President is out of jail and says he has ‘no regrets’

While Emmanuel Macron was on an official trip in the Drôme department in June, he had an encounter with one of his citizens that he will probably never forget in his lifetime. Before getting into his car, the President of the Republic headed towards the people to extend his greetings. Instead, he was met with a rather aggressive attack by a man who shouted, ‘Montjoie and Saint-Denis. Down with Macronism’ and then proceeded to slap Macron across the face. The whole scene was filmed and put on the internet for billions of people to see.

Three months in prison

The aggressor, Damien Tarel, was immediately arrested and sentenced to eighteen months in prison, four of which were suspended. He was serving his time in a prison in Valence, Drôme.

This Saturday, 11 September, the man was released after he spent three months behind bars. Although the authorities wanted his release to be as discreet as possible, the press was nonetheless present to get a statement from him.

No regrets

BFMTV journalists were able to get a quick interview with Tarel as soon as he exited the gates. The 28-year-old said he had received a lot of support from other people and his family while he was in jail. He also added that he would be joining the demonstrations happening against the French COVID pass later that day. He told BFMTV:

I've had a lot of letters of support. I think that if I have been able to hold on it is thanks to all the support that has been sent to me, including books and things like that.

When asked about his actions against the President, Damien Tarel said he had ‘no regrets.’