The death of Quentin Deranque, who succumbed to injuries following an altercation between far-left and right-wing activists, has left the country on edge.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm ahead of a rally Saturday in Lyon for a far-right activist whose killing has deepened political tensions.
Quentin Deranque was fatally beaten by a group of attackers on the sidelines of a protest against the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party last week.
Macron urged “everyone to remain calm” ahead of a rally for Deranque in Lyon, which is going ahead under tight security despite the mayor’s call to ban it.
The rally is expected to draw up to 3,000 people, with counterprotests also anticipated.
On Friday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he had planned an “extremely large police deployment,” with reinforcements from outside the city to ensure security at the rally.
French government to discuss ‘violent action groups’
At least 11 people have been detained in connection with the killing, one of them is reportedly an assistant to a hard-left member of parliament.
The case has strained tensions ahead of municipal elections in March and the 2027 presidential race.
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) urged supporters to avoid rallies on Saturday but the party also has cast the hard left as the real danger to France. LFI has condemned the killing.
Deranque’s death also drew sharp reactions abroad. The US State Department described it as “terrorism” and blamed rising “violent radical leftism,” while Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the killing “a wound for all Europe,” prompting Macron to tell her to stay out of French affairs.
The government will convene a meeting next week on “violent action groups which are active and have links with political parties,” as investigations continue.
“In the Republic, no violence is legitimate,” Macron said Saturday. “There is no place for militias, no matter where they come from.”
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
DW News
