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Liam O'Dell
Sep 27, 2021
French president Emmanuel Macron has become the latest politician to be hit by a projectile while out in public, as he was struck by an egg while in Lyon on Monday.
Video footage shows the object hitting the side of Macron’s face before bouncing away. A man can then be seen being placed in handcuffs by security services, and according to Lyon Mag, the individual shouted “vive la revolution” during the incident.
It isn’t the first time that Macron has been assaulted by a member of the public either, as he was slapped in the face whilst greeting a crowd in Drôme in June.
Damien Tarel, a fan of medieval history and a right-wing sympathiser, shouted “Down with Macronia” before striking Macron, and was later sentenced to four months in jail.
And it isn’t just Macron who has been hit with a projectile by a member of the electorate, either.
François Fillon
While out campaigning in Strasbourg during the 2017 French presidential election, former prime minister François Fillon was flour-bombed by a member of the public, who reportedly wore a ‘students for Fillon’ t-shirt to get close to the politician.
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After emptying a bag of flour all over Fillon, the man was apprehended by security.
Nicolas Sarkozy
Sticking with France, the French apparently have coined the verb entarter, which simply means “throwing a pie in someone’s face”, according to The Local.
Unfortunately for Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, he was the victim of a pie to the face while walking down a street.
Steven Joyce
Over in New Zealand, a Member of Parliament received a sex toy to the face as he delivered a press conference in Waitangi, with the protestor reportedly shouting “that’s for raping our sovereignty” as she was taken away.
Steven Joyce, the economic development minister, appeared to take it on the chin – perhaps rather literally.
He told TVNZ after the incident: “Fair to say I don’t think those sorts of things happen everyday. We actually thought it was a little bit humorous at the end of it all.”
Apparently, the MP was dubbed ‘Dildo Baggins’ following the assault.
Peter Mandelson
Former first secretary of state, Peter Mandelson, was lobbed with green custard in 2009, as part of a protest by the activist group, Plane Stupid – which opposed airport expansion.
The woman responsible, Leila Dean, said: “The only thing green about Peter Mandelson is the slime coursing through his veins.”
Meanwhile, Mandelson described the custard-ing as an “adolescent protest”.
“She was so busy throwing what seemed like green soup or something in my face that she failed to tell me what the protest was about, but, as you can see, thankfully it was not paint and I have come through it intact,” he said at the time.
George W Bush
In one of the more viral altercations between a politician and a stranger, then-US president George W Bush managed to duck just in time to avoid a shoe being thrown at his face by Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi in 2008.
The incident took place during a news conference in Baghdad, and saw al-Zaidi throw both of his shoes at the Potus. He was jailed for three years.
Fraser Anning
Not long after Australian senator Fraser Anning sparked fury for blaming the 2019 Christchurch shootings on Muslim immigration, the politician was hit with an egg on the head by a 17-year-old boy during a press interview.
Anning responded by hitting the teenager – Will Connolly – before a full-blown fight broke out.
Connolly wasn’t charged over the incident, but was given an “official caution”.
John Prescott
Another politician who fought back was Labour’s John Prescott, who, after he had an egg thrown at him in Rhyl, North Wales in 2001, tackled the protestor to the ground and punched him.
Jeremy Corbyn
A Brexit supporter was handed a 28-day sentence when he attacked then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with an egg during a visit to a London mosque in March 2019.
It’s reported that John Murphy, 31-year-old, shouted “respect the vote” during the incident.
Boris Johnson
Before he became our prime minister, Boris Johnson was pelted with plastic balls as he arrived at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester in 2015. Four people were arrested in connection with the protest, which was reportedly surrounding disability benefits.
Tommy Robinson
Back in 2019, it became a trend to ‘milkshake’ right-wing politicians, and while we wish we didn’t have to write this, Tommy Robinson was technically a politician that year when he ran for election to the European Parliament.
The founder of the far-right English Defence League, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was talking to a man in Warrington holding a McDonalds milkshake, before he decided to empty the contents over his head.
Robinson responded with punches, and it was the second time in two days that he had a milkshake thrown over him.
Nigel Farage
Another politician caught on the receiving end of a milkshake was former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Back when he was campaigning for his Brexit Party in 2019, he was covered in the drink in Newcastle.
Clearly irritated by the incident, Farage could later be heard describing the attack as a “complete failure”, adding that he “spotted that a mile off”.
Sticking with controversial figures, Trump almost got hit by two tomatoes in Iowa, with a 28-year-old man arrested for “disorderly conduct”.
Trump took it about as well as you’d expect him to, telling the crowd that “there might be someone with tomatoes in the audience”, and that if they saw them, they should “knock the crap out of them”.
He even said he would “pay for the legal fees”.
It should hopefully go without saying that this is assault, and there’s far better – and legal – ways of letting your political representatives know what you think.
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