Three Months Ago Slapped By Citizens, President Emmanuel Macron Yesterday Thrown Eggs

Presiden Prancis Emmanuel Macron. (Wikimedia Commons / Kremil.ru / Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - French President Emmanuel Macron was hit by an egg while taking part in a food event in Lyon on Monday.

This is not the first incident that France's number one has been targeted during a work visit or activity outside his palace.

"The egg bounced off President Macron's shoulder and broke on the floor right in front of me," Florence Lago, a journalist for French publication Lyon Mag, told CNN, as quoted September 28.

Lyon Mag shared a video of the incident at the SIRHA food and hospitality exhibition on its Twitter account. The clip shows the egg bouncing off President Macron's shoulder, before the camera pans to officials holding a man in the crowd.

The motivation behind the incident remains unclear. Lago said he saw a young man throwing eggs but he didn't hear him shouting anything. He said security personnel immediately escorted the man out of the premises.

A spokesman for the Elysée Palace, who was with Macron at the time, told CNN the incident was exaggerated.

"The president walked around for two hours, he was greeted warmly and everything was calm. There's nothing to say about that because it doesn't get in the way," the spokesman said.

"I'm next to the President, I can tell you no story," the spokesman continued.

Prior to yesterday's incident, President Macron had also experienced two unfortunate events. Most recently in June, during a visit to southeastern France.

At that time, President Macron was slapped in the face by a man while greeting residents, in the midst of his visit. However, President Macron continued to greet other residents after the slap, even though his bodyguards had pulled him back.

While still a presidential candidate, Emmanuel Macron was the target of egg throwing in 2017. Unlike what happened yesterday, when the egg broke in the head.

With France's presidential election less than a year away, Emmanuel Macron is trying to win the attention and support of voters. In June, his party performed poorly in regional elections, which are closely watched ahead of April's presidential election. However, given the low turnout, political experts say it is difficult to draw conclusions.