Former Macron bodyguard charged over attack on protester

A former bodyguard of French president Emmanuel Macron will face charges after a video emerged of him beating a protester at a May Day rally.

Alexandre Benalla had been the head of Mr Macron’s security detail until Friday, but was sacked after being identified in the footage circulated online.

Prosecutors indicted him on Sunday evening on charges including violence at a public meeting, impersonating a police officer and trying to destroy video evidence.

The scandal has seen the president himself come in for stern criticism for his failure to act on the matter sooner.

Mr Macron initially handed a 15-day suspension to the bodyguard, who had worked with him since the days of his election campaign.

Further action was only taken when Mr Benalla was recognised by opposition politicians in a video of the protest posted on social media.

In the footage, he is seen wearing a police helmet and identification tag dragging a woman and then striking a student demonstrator at the rally in Paris.

Vincent Crase, another bodyguard who worked for Mr Macron during his presidential campaign last year, faces similar charges to Mr Benalla.

Three police officers, meanwhile, have also been charged over allegations they gave the 26-year-old video surveillance images of his assaults in “breach of professional secrecy”.

They are said to have hidden the footage in the hope it could not be used as evidence.

All of the men were granted bail and are to appear in court at a later date after judicial police spent the weekend interviewing them.

Mr Macron has remained silent on the growing scandal, leaving government aides to issue statements on his behalf.

Presidential spokesman Bruno Roger-Petit said earlier this week Mr Benalla had been given permission to attend the demonstration as an “observer”.

“Clearly, he went beyond this. He was immediately summoned by the president's chief of staff and given a 15-day suspension. This came as punishment for unacceptable behaviour,” he added.

Mr Benalla was forced to cancel his wedding on Saturday as he was instead questioned by detectives in custody.

He was due to marry his fiancee, Myriam, in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux, with guests including other close aides of Mr Macron present.

There have been calls for Gerard Collomb, France's Interior Minister, to resign over the scandal as he prepares to face questions from MPs on Monday.

Under clause 40 of the French penal code, the government should have informed the judiciary of the criminal incident the moment they were aware of it.

Additional reporting by agencies