French police continue their investigation with two young men following one of them slapping President Emmanuel Macron during a tour in the Drôme region of southeastern France. According to the French site "L'Intelligent," the young man who slapped Macron is named "Damien T." and is 28 years old; he follows several monarchists and far-right extremists on social media. The source clarified that Damien lives in Saint-Vallier (Drôme) north of Valence, where he has established two associations specializing in martial arts.
One acquaintance stated, "I was very surprised by the incident; Damien is not a violent person and has no history of such actions; this is not his style at all." His friend, who was arrested for filming the incident, is named "Arthur C." and is also 28 years old. According to sources from the "BFM" television station, "weapons" were found at the home of the second detainee, along with a copy of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf." A neighbor of Arthur remarked, "We always hang out in the neighborhood and never talked about politics or religion... he is a very reasonable person."
The public prosecutor in Valence, where the incident occurred, announced that both men have been arrested and placed in police custody for further questioning.
**What Charges Do the Detainees Face?**
The young men, Damien and Arthur, face charges of assaulting a public official, according to the prosecutor. The French site "CNews" revealed: "If the person slapped Macron but he did not suffer any injury, he will be charged with -light violence-." According to Article R624-1 of the Penal Code, light violence results in a fourth-degree fine not exceeding 750 euros. However, if the slap that Macron received caused "inability to work for less than eight days," the attacker could face three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. This law applies to any assailant who attacks a person holding public authority in the country.
In this regard, the site "CNews" mentioned that, practically, it is not certain that the suspect will face this severe penalty. In 2017, a young man slapped then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls and was sentenced to three months in prison with a suspended sentence and ordered to complete 105 hours of community service.
