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The incident has fuelled tensions between the far right and hard left ahead of municipal elections in March and the presidential election next year.
French authorities have arrested nine suspects over the death of a French far-right activist in Lyon, the southeastern city’s public prosecutor has said.
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Among those detained was an assistant to Raphael Arnault, a member of parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party. Arnault reacted by saying he was firing the assistant.
The 23-year-old Quentin Deranque died from a severe brain injury after being attacked by at least six people last week on the sidelines of a far-right protest against MEP Rima Hassan, who was speaking at an event at Sciences Po Lyon university.
The incident has intensified tension between France’s far right and hard left as they prepare for municipal elections in March and the presidential race in 2027.
Nemesis, an anti-immigration group that describes itself as a protector of western women against violence, stated that Deranque was at the demonstration acting as security for its members.
Nemesis has blamed La Jeune Garde (Young Guard) for the killing, an anti-fascist youth group co-founded in 2018 in Lyon by hard-left activist Raphaël Arnault before he was elected to parliament.
On its part, the government has blamed LFI for fuelling the violence that led to Deranque’s death.
“It is manifestly the ultra-left who killed him,” French justice minister Gérald Darmanin said.
A video, purportedly of the attack, shows a dozen people hitting three others lying on the ground, two of whom manage to escape.
On Tuesday afternoon, the French National Assembly observed a minute of silence for Quentin Deranque, with a commemorative march scheduled next Saturday in Lyon.
Political blame game continues
While government officials have blamed LFI and La Jeune Garde, the Lyon prosecutor declined to address those claims on Monday, confirming only that the case is being handled as voluntary homicide and aggravated assault.
La Jeune Garde, which was dissolved in June, denied any links to the “tragic events”.
Three-time presidential candidate and likely 2027 contender, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, dismissed claims that his party, the LFI, was at fault.
LFI lawmaker and La Jeune Garde co-founder, Raphaël Arnault, has said he was horrified by the killing.
Meanwhile, three-time presidential candidate with the far-right National Rally Marine Le Pen condemned the “barbarians responsible for this lynching”.
With President Emmanuel Macron constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in 2027, the far-right National Rally’s Jordan Bardella currently leads the race to succeed him, according to recent opinion polls.
