French President Emmanuel Macron has urged “everyone to remain calm” ahead of the high-security march on Saturday in memory of a far-right activist beaten to death by members of the far left in Lyon.
Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old student, succumbed to a flurry of blows on February 12 while lying on the ground, inflicted by at least six hooded individuals. A march in his honor will be closely monitored this Saturday in Lyon by a “extremely important” presence of police officers and gendarmes, as authorities fear clashes between the two sides.
“It’s a moment of reflection and respect for our young compatriot who was killed,” the state leader said during the Paris Agriculture Fair opening. “In the Republic, no violence is legitimate,” he stressed. “There is no place for militias, whoever they may be.”
The president also announced a meeting with the government next week to “fully assess the violent action groups that are thriving and have links with political parties regardless of their beliefs.” Six men suspected of being involved in the fatal attack have been charged with “voluntary manslaughter,” and an assistant to a left-wing parliamentarian has been charged with “complicity.”
International Reaction to the Case
The Trump administration denounced the far-left political violence on Friday, calling for those responsible for Quentin Deranque’s death to be brought to justice. The death of Quentin Deranque also sparked a heated exchange between Emmanuel Macron and Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Giorgia Meloni wrote Thursday that “the death of a barely 20-year-old boy, attacked by groups linked to left-wing extremism in an atmosphere of ideological hatred spreading across several countries, is a wound for all of Europe.” Emmanuel Macron sternly replied on Friday to stop “commenting on what happens elsewhere.”
“To intervene (…) to express my solidarity with the French people on an issue that clearly concerns everyone is not interference. I am sorry Macron did not understand that,” the Italian Prime Minister replied. “I see a climate that I do not like, I see it in Italy, I see it in France, I see it in the United States,” Georgia Meloni also judged, referring to the “years of lead” between 1969 and 1980, during which Italy experienced attacks by radical Marxist organizations, the Red Brigades, as well as far-right groups. Some Red Brigades members found refuge in France during that time.
