Thousands gather in Lyon following the death of a French far-right activist last week
Thousands gathered on Saturday in the French city of Lyon in response to the killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who was brutally beaten to death last week by suspected hard-left activists in an event that has left the nation in shock.
Numerous demonstrators donned surgical masks and sunglasses to obscure their identities while chanting phrases like “we are at home” and “antifa assassin.”
The local authority announced that it had submitted reports of Nazi salutes and racist insults captured during the march to the prosecutor, in light of videos that have been circulating on social media.
Authorities expressed worry that the gathering in Lyon, which hosts a mix of far-right and antifascist factions, might escalate into violence. While the march had mostly come to an end by 8:00 p.m. (1900 GMT), a heightened police presence in the city will continue throughout the night.
The President urged for tranquility.
On Saturday morning, French President Emmanuel Macron urged for calm in anticipation of the upcoming rallies and announced plans to convene a meeting with ministers regarding all violent groups next week.
Former center-right Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin described the killing of Deranque, 23, as “France’s Charlie Kirk moment,” alluding to the shooting of the U.S. conservative activist that occurred last year.
A march honoring Quentin Deranque, organized by various far-right groups in Lyon.
Seven individuals are currently facing formal investigation for their suspected involvement in the murder of Deranque. Among those being scrutinized is a former aide to a lawmaker from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, which has publicly denounced the act of violence.
According to the newspaper Le Monde, Deranque’s death marks the first incident reportedly executed by hard-left individuals since 2022. Reuters has reported that at least five killings have been allegedly carried out by far-right individuals during the same timeframe, with one case being investigated as terrorism.
EXTREME RIGHT ORGANIZATIONS
Aliette Espieux, an anti-abortion activist, organized the march and announced the participation of some far-right groups. The National Rally, a far-right party, advised its supporters to steer clear of rallies due to concerns about potential unrest.
Small groups were also seen shouting “We are all antifascist” alongside the march, while a banner proclaiming “Lyon is antifa” was displayed from a window near the start, as shown in images on BFMTV.
The mayor of Lyon, Gregory Doucet, had sought to prevent the march from taking place. On Saturday, he expressed his concerns to reporters regarding the calls for French and European far-right groups to come to Lyon for the event.
“Throughout our term, we have actively opposed far-right violence.” “We have successfully closed numerous premises and shut down organizations due to our concerns about certain individuals exhibiting violent behavior,” he stated.
The local authority reported that approximately 3,200 individuals attended the march in Lyon. Smaller marches were scheduled in several other towns across France.
