Macron speaking during his visit to a hospitality school in Tain l'Hermitage. Photo: Reuters

Macron had been seen walking towards a crowd of apparent well-wishers behind a metal barrier in the village of Tain-l'Hermitage. He reached out his hand to greet the individual, who then hit him.

During the incident, the man — whose identity and motives were initially unclear — could be heard shouting "Montjoie Saint Denis" —a French army battle cry from when the country was still a monarchy.

A presidential security entourage quickly intervened to pull the protester to the ground and move Macron away.

'Nothing will stop me,' vows defiant Macron

Macron appeared unfazed by the incident, telling regional newspaper La Dauphine Libere that "all is well."

"We must not let isolated acts, ultra-violent individuals, like there had been some also in protests, dominate the public debate: they don't deserve it," he said.

Macron said he had no specific concerns after the assault, and had continued to meet the public.

"I greeted the people who were by the man's side and made pictures with them. I continued and will continue. Nothing will stop me," he said.

'An affront to democracy'

"The man who tried to slap the president and another individual are currently being questioned by the gendarmerie," said a statement from the regional prefecture.

"Around 1:15 p.m. (1115 UTC/GMT), the president got back into his car after visiting a high school and came back out because onlookers were calling out to him," the prefecture said. "He went to meet them and that's where the incident happened."

French Prime Minister Jean Castex condemned the incident as "an affront to democracy."

"Politics can never be violence, verbal aggression, much less physical aggression," the Premier told parliament.