Damien Tarel Wiki
Damien Tarel Biography
Who is Damien Tarel?
Damien Tarel, an unemployed fanatic of medieval fencing who claimed to be a supporter of the right wing, attacked Macron as the French president was shaking hands with members of the public during a walk on Tuesday.
The court gave Tarel a sentence of 18 months in jail, but 14 of those months were suspended, the broadcaster reported. Earlier, Tarel told the court in Valence, southern France, that he acted because the president stood up for everything that was rotten with France, the news channel said.
Damien Tarel Age
Damien Tarel is 28 years old.
Damien Tarel slapped Macron to 4 months in jail
Damien Tarel, 28, received an 18-month sentence, with a 14-month suspension. The right-wing sympathizer has been in custody since Tuesday’s assault, which a prosecutor at the hearing called “absolutely unacceptable” and “an act of deliberate violence.”
He attacked Macron when the French president reached out to shake hands with members of the public during a campaign stop. Tarel was arrested following the verdict of a court in the southern city of Valence.
Previously, Tarel told the court that he had acted because the president stood up for everything that was wrong in France. He added that several days before Macron’s visit to the Drome region, he had thought of throwing an egg or a cream pie at him, and said the slap was not premeditated.
Macron described the incident as an “isolated event” when he greeted his followers and his locals in the city of Valence the next day.
“I always look for contact, at a shouting distance, as we say. I want it, ”he said after the event.
In his verdict, the court followed a recommendation from prosecutors for an 18-month sentence, but said he should serve only four months after a fast-track hearing. Tarel could have received a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($ 55,000).
Under French law, prison terms of less than two years can be converted into non-custodial penalties. Speaking to investigators after the event, Tarel said he had “acted instinctively and without thinking” when he came face to face with Macron in front of a school in the town of Tain-l’Hermitage.
In court, he expressed his sympathy for the anti-government “yellow vests” movement, according to the BFM news channel. “Macron represents the decline of our country,” he told the court.
Tarel, unemployed and living on benefits, said he had been upset by Macron’s decision to come and greet the crowd, BFM reported. When asked about it during an interview with BFM on Thursday, Macron called it a “stupid and violent act” and suggested it was a consequence of the poisonous atmosphere found on social media.
“You get used to the hate on social media that becomes normalized,” he said. “And then when you’re face to face with someone, you think it’s the same. That is unacceptable. ”
Along with him they arrested a second man from Saint-Vallier, Tarel’s hometown. Police found weapons, a copy of Adolf Hitler Mein Kampf’s autobiographical manifesto and a red flag with a golden hammer and sickle, the symbol of the communist movement, in the home of the second man, local prosecutor Alex Perrin said.
Leaders from across the political spectrum have come together to condemn the slap, and many see it as a symptom of the tense political climate and deteriorating standards of public debate weeks before the French regional elections and 10 months before the presidential elections.
“The political climate is turning vinegar. What is happening is dangerous, ”said the left-wing high-ranking member of the French Parliament and candidate for the regional elections, Clementine Autain, on the France Info radio station.
Others saw the assault as a sign of how Macron, a former reformist investment banker, continues to inspire gut reactions from many French people. His presidency was rocked by anti-government “yellow vest” protests in 2018-2019, which were fueled in part by anger over his economic reforms, as well as his abrasive personality.
The 43-year-old Macron, whose personal qualifications have recently risen, is expected to seek a second term next year. Polls show him with a narrow lead over his main rival, far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
