Updated July 04, 2017 12:29:49

Photo: The self-described far right nationalist planned to shoot Mr Macron at a military parade. (Reuters: Eric Feferberg)

An assassination plot against French President Emmanuel Macron has been foiled, police say, after they arrested a 23-year-old man.

Police say the self-described far right nationalist planned to shoot Mr Macron as he presided over a military parade with US President Donald Trump to celebrate the French national day on July 14.

The man was seized after using a video game chatroom to try to find ways to obtain a machine gun.

He threatened police with a kitchen knife during the arrest.

The Paris prosecutor described the man as unstable but conscious of his actions and determined to carry them out, and police said they believed he was acting alone.

Macron vows to lift state of emergency

Meanwhile, Mr Macron vowed to lift a state of emergency that has been in place since 2015 while also hardening permanent security measures to fight Islamic extremism and other threats.

Emmanuel Macron has pulled off an extraordinary victory, but there are several hurdles before he can govern, writes Steve Cannane.

Laying out his political, security and diplomatic priorities at an extraordinary 90-minute speech, Mr Macron said his government would, "work to prevent any new attack, and we will work to fight [the assailants] without pity, without regrets, without weakness".

He also insisted on the need to "guarantee full respect for individual liberties" amid concerns the new measures would allow police too many powers.

Mr Macron said he would maintain France's military interventions against extremists abroad, especially in Africa's Sahel region and in Iraq and Syria.

But he insisted on the importance of maintaining "the path of negotiation" for long-term solutions.

Critics boycott in protest of 'presidential monarchy'

Critics who fear Mr Macron is trying to amass too much power organised protests over Monday's event.

Politicians from the far-left party of Jean-Luc Melenchon and communists decided not to attend the speech in protest against what they called a "presidential monarchy".

After his new centrist party dominated parliamentary elections and split the opposition, political rivals are comparing Mr Macron to Napoleon, or the Roman king of the gods, Jupiter.

They are especially angry he wants to strip worker protections through a decree-like procedure, allowing little parliamentary debate.

Photo: The scale of Mr Macron's win hands him a solid platform to make good on campaign promises. (Reuters: Bertrand Guay)

ABC/AP

Topics: government-and-politics, world-politics, terrorism, police, france

First posted July 04, 2017 07:41:00