Man who slapped president is jailed for attack

A French court ordered the man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron across the face to serve four months in jail. The court gave Damien Tarel, 28, a fan of medieval swordsmanship and martial arts, a sentence of 18 months in jail, but 14 of those months were suspended, the broadcaster reported. Tarel told the court in Valence yesterday that several days ahead of Macron’s visit to the southeastern Drome region, he had thought about throwing an egg or a cream tart at the president, the news channel reported. ‘‘I think that Macron represents very neatly the decay of our country,’’ he told the court. ‘‘If I had challenged Macron to a duel at sunrise, I doubt he would have responded.’’ Macron later described the attack as an isolated incident and said violence and hate were a threat to democracy.