- Damien Tarel was thrown to the ground by bodyguards after slapping the President Macron and yelling: ‘Montjoie Saint Denis,’ an old royalist war cry, ‘A Bas La Macronie’ (‘Down with Macronia’).
- A source close to the investigation described him as a person who was “a bit lost, a bit geeky, a bit of a gamer.”
- His Instagram account shows him sporting armor, wielding swords, posing on hay bales in robes with a velvet beret, and wearing a helmet used in the Japanese martial art of Kendo.
Ross Ibbetson for Mailonline from Daily Mail writes:
“The man who slapped Emmanuel Macron across the face yesterday is a 28-year-old medieval role-playing fan who lives with his mother, police have revealed.
Long-haired and bespectacled Damien Tarel was bundled to the ground by bodyguards after striking the president and crying out: ‘Montjoie Saint Denis,’ an old royalist war cry, ‘A Bas La Macronie’ (‘Down with Macronia’).
The grievous security breach has overshadowed the start of a Macron’s ‘Tour de France,’ intended to gauge public opinion after a year of lockdowns, and drew condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Police searched Tarel’s home where they uncovered reproduction weapons, a Soviet flag, fantasy novels, Japanese comics and military simulation games.
In the immediate aftermath, a police source had claimed Tarel was an ‘anarchist,’ but detectives are now working on the basis he subscribes to a sort of ‘ideological mush,’ Le Parisien newspaper reported.
A source close to the investigation described him as someone who was ‘a bit lost, a bit geeky, a bit of a gamer’.
His Instagram account shows him donning armour and wielding swords, posing on hay bales in robes and a velvet beret, and wearing a helmet used in the Japanese martial art of Kendo.
Tarel managed a local club of martial arts enthusiasts focused on the practice of historical European martial arts, including traditional swordsmanship.
A source told Le Parisien he lives ‘in a kind of parallel world made of role-playing games, simulations of medieval fights.’
He was detained with his friend, Arthur C. who is the same age, and who is accused of shouting abuse at Macron. A search of Arthur’s house is reported to have uncovered a copy of Mein Kampf and rifle…”
See full story here.
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