issuing time:
French President Macron’s slapped Damien Tarel, 28, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on Thursday, including four months’ imprisonment, fourteen months’ probation, deprivation of civil rights for three years, and a life-long ban on official duties. After the verdict was announced, he was escorted to prison on the spot. A slap in exchange for such a severe punishment is generally regarded as symmetrical to the extreme behavior of the perpetrator.
When French President Macron shook hands with a public on his way to the South on June 8th, he was slapped by the other side. The moment the president was slapped appeared on social networks countless times, and France seemed to be hit by a small political earthquake in an instant. . Regardless of left and right, the political circles, from the extreme left to the right, unanimously condemned this violent act, which they believed not only insulted Macron himself, but also insulted the French Republic.
The French Le Monde, regarded as the center left, published a editorial on this. The editorial wrote: On June 8, the President of the Republic began his second visit since France banned the foot ban, in order to detect the “temperature” in the depths of France, but an infuriating incident occurred. A man who chanted royalist slogans and “hit Macronism” slapped the president who had just visited a high school.
In the Fifth Republic, it is not the first time that national leaders have become the targets of hostile and hateful small groups or individuals. In 1962, members of the French Secret Army (OAS) opposed to Algeria’s independence fired on Charles de Gaulle; in 2002, at the Champs Elysees During the National Day military parade on the Avenue, the 25-year-old Bruneri attempted to murder Chirac with a spear. Although this assault against Macron was not so dramatic, according to Le Monde, he was suddenly slapped and caught in the scene of the meeting between the president and the welcoming crowd. His accomplices filmed and immediately sent Twitter propaganda, which has a strong symbolic meaning: it means that this is an era of violence, and an atmosphere is full of uneasy moments. An evil wind is blowing towards the democratic system.
Le Monde believes that every citizen has the right to like or dislike the President of the Republic. This is his personal belief. However, to slap the President of the Republic by not recognizing a universal suffrage and thus not recognizing him as the representative of the French people is to step on the feet of all the rules of democratic representative system. French Prime Minister Castel’s call for the spirit of republic a few hours after the incident was undoubtedly right. Although Macron himself considered the incident to be an “isolated action,” there is no doubt that it is a threat to the French democratic system.
Le Monde pointed out that over the years, violence against elected representatives of the Republic has increased unabated. Whether it is against mayors, councillors, government cabinet members, verbal violence and physical violence, violence has become the fuel for social networks. On social networks, many citizens vent their personal dissatisfaction. In an exciting and fiery circle of friends, you can say anything, complain about everything, and treat the true and false as equals. Everything seems reasonable and reasonable, leading to the radicalization of the political environment and the public Debate on pauperization, these are precisely the two poisons of the Republic.
This slap is undoubtedly a product of this background. If it is said that after the incident, it is gratifying that no matter the extreme left or right, all parties have unanimously condemned violence, but don’t forget what elements were nourishing two days before the incident. A political debate, preparing to run for the president of the Republic for the third time, French unyielding leader Mei Langxiong detonated a natural outrage. Mei Langxiong predicted in the tone of conspiracy theory: “In the last week of the presidential election there will be a serious accident or even murder”.
Mei Langxiong used this to expose his slanderer, a video compiled by a well-known far-right internet celebrity that simulated the execution of a French unyielding party member. This video was actually commented on by a well-known newspaperman and TV. The member’s Eric Zemmour applauded. Le Monde lamented that this extreme bargaining summed up all the problems in France at the moment. So, who can inject a little rationality into this debate?
On Thursday, the victim Macron played down the incident again, thinking that the country was not in the crisis of the “Yellow Vest Movement” period. He emphasized the atmosphere of optimism that was permeating after the French epidemic was greatly eased. He said, “I now feel an atmosphere of optimism pervades all of France, a strong will to re-invest in life in all directions.” The young president with a deep philosophical foundation said, “It’s nothing serious when you get a slap in the face when you walk into the crowd.”
Is Macron ready to run for the next president? He avoided the question as “untimely”, “When the question of my personal future is really raised, I will tell you frankly.”
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