Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, was slapped during a visit to the town of Tain-l’Hermitage.

In a video posted on Twitter, Macron is seen approaching a group of people; he talked with a man dressed in a khaki shirt, who took his forearm and slapped him. In the same video, shortly before the slap, the «monarchist war cry» is heard: «Montjoie Saint Denis!» or also “Down with the macronía!”.

Two 28-year-old men, with no criminal record, were arrested after the incident with Emmanuel Macron, their motivations are currently unknown.

The reactions of the political class were immediate. Prime Minister Jean Castex denounced in Parliament that «politics can’t be violence, verbal aggression or physical aggression».

Opposition leaders also condemned the attack. The leftist candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said he was «in solidarity» with Macron. The incident takes place in an increasingly tense climate in France, where insults and verbal attacks are multiplying.

Physical attacks on presidents are not common in France; the last case was in 2002, when a militant tried to shoot Jacques Chirac to death during the military parade on July 14.