Tarel said: “When I saw his friendly, lying look, I felt disgust, and I had a violent reaction… It was an impulsive reaction … I was surprised myself by the violence.”

He also told the court, “I think that Emmanuel Macron represents the decline of our country.”

The man has been sentenced to four-month imprisonment.

The court gave the man, Damien Tarel, who is a fan of medieval swordsmanship and martial arts a sentence of 18 months in jail, but 14 of those months were suspended, Daily Dates Nigeria reports.

The court also banned Tarel from ever holding public office and from owning weapons for five years.

Tarel told the court in Valence, southern France, that he was a rightwing or extreme-right “patriot” and member of the gilets jaunes economic protest movement.

According to him, he and his friends considered bringing an egg or a cream pie to throw at the president, but dropped the idea – and maintained that the slap wasn’t intentional.

He attacked the French president when Macron was shaking hands with members of the public during a walkabout in France’s Drome region.

In France, a charge of assault against a public official carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail and a 45,000 euro fine.

Macron has, however, chosen to comment on the trial on Thursday, but said: “Nothing justifies violence in a democratic society, never.”

“It’s not such a big deal to get a slap when you go toward a crowd to say hello to some people who were waiting for a long time.

“We must not make that stupid and violent act more important than it is.”

The president added, “We must not make it banal, because anyone with public authority is entitled to respect.”

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