Several suspects, some linked to the ultra-left, have been identified in the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon, escalating political tensions ahead of key elections.
LYON: French investigators have identified several suspects in the killing of a far-right activist, a source close to the case said. Some of those identified are linked to the “ultra-left”.
The victim, 23-year-old Quentin Deranque (pic), died from a severe brain injury after being attacked by at least six people. The assault occurred last week on the sidelines of a far-right protest at a university in Lyon.
A video broadcast by TF1 television appears to show a dozen people hitting three others lying on the ground. A witness told AFP that “people were hitting each other with iron bars”.
The suspects were not previously known to authorities as security threats. The incident is being investigated as a voluntary homicide and aggravated assault.
The killing has sharply intensified tensions between France’s far right and hard left. This comes ahead of municipal elections in March and the 2027 presidential race.
The government has blamed rhetoric from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party for fuelling the violence. An anti-immigration collective called Nemesis said Deranque was at the protest to protect its members.
Nemesis has blamed the killing on La Jeune Garde (Young Guard), an anti-fascist youth group. That group, which was dissolved in June, has denied any links to the “tragic events”.
LFI’s leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has denied his party was to blame. LFI lawmaker Raphael Arnault, who co-founded La Jeune Garde, said he was horrified by the death.
On the far right, National Rally’s Marine Le Pen condemned the “barbarians responsible for this lynching”. Opinion polls currently put the far right in the lead for the 2027 presidency.
The Sun Malaysia