Expect to see more and more of this...
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dailymail.co.uk/
This is the moment the president of France was grabbed by his lapels and thrown towards the ground.
Nicolas Sarkozy, 55, had been shaking hands with supporters across a barrier during the walkabout today when the man lunged forward and placed a hand on the president's shoulder.
A shocked Sarkozy was then sent hurtling backwards as security guards scrambled through the crowds in Brax, near Toulouse, to catch the attacker.
'President Sarkozy was shaking hands with people across a crash barrier when he was attacked,' said an onlooker.
'The man reached out as if he wanted to shake the President's hand, but then he grabbed him by the suit lapel and sent him flying.
'Plain-clothes security guards moved in immediately and bundled the attacker to the grounds. The President looked very shaken and white-faced, but otherwise he looked unhurt.'
An Elysee Palace source in Paris confirmed that the attacker had been restrained by four members of the presidential security and protection service.
He said the unnamed attacker, who is French and a local man, was now in custody in nearby Agen.
'He was taken away very quickly, allowing President Sarkozy to continue with his walk-about,' said the Elysee source.
The man faces up to three years in prison and a 45,000 euros (£40,000) fine if found guilty of assaulting a public figure, said a judicial source in Paris.
Mr Sarkozy's aggressive manner has led to frequent unpleasant incidents while on walk-about.
In 2008 he was involved in a crude slanging match with a member of the public at a farm show in Paris, telling him: 'Get lost, you poor cretin'.
Earlier in his presidency, Mr Sarkozy threatened to have a fight with a fisherman who had been baiting him about his high salary.
Mr Sarkozy has also frequently had projectiles including coins and stones thrown at him during trips to high-rise housing estates around major cities.
He also caused widespread anger as Interior Minister by describing a gang of his young tormentors as 'scum'.
Death threats including bullets have also been received for Mr Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace.
Despite all this, today is the first time anybody is thought to have got close enough to physically attack the President.
Earlier this year it emerged that Mr Sarkozy was starting to use a £10,000 bullet-proof umbrella to protect him from attackers.
It followed opinion polls which portrayed him as the most unpopular head of state in recent Gallic history.
The umbrella is carried by security guards who have to be taller than the 5ft 5ins president.
The so called 'Para Pactum' – Latin for 'prepare for peace' – is coated in Kevlar, a high strength material originally used as a replacement for steel in motor racing wheels.
It was not thought to have been needed today because Brax was considered a peaceful small town, and the hot summer weather would have made an umbrella look incongruous, said the Elysee source.
The hand of Mr Sarkozy's attacker can be seen on the president's shoulder, taking a good grip of his suit
With a fierce tug, the president is pulled towards the crowd of onlookers
The president recoils, with the officials behind him still apparently oblivious to the altercation
The president's men react, as Sarkozy pulls himself free
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