Lyon, France. French authorities have arrested 11 people, including an aide to a hard-left lawmaker, over the killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon. The case has heightened political tensions in France ahead of upcoming elections.
Arrests and investigation
Deranque, 23, died on Saturday after being beaten outside a conference in Lyon given by Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI). Videos of the confrontation were widely shared on social media, and Hassan and other LFI members condemned the killing.
The Lyon prosecutors’ office said on Wednesday that two further arrests had been made, bringing the total number of people detained to 11. On Monday, Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran said a murder investigation had been opened into Deranque’s death.
LFI lawmaker Raphael Arnault said on Tuesday that his parliamentary assistant was among those detained and that the aide had “stopped all parliamentary work”. “It is now up to the investigation to determine responsibility,” Arnault said on X.
Political reaction
The incident has drawn criticism of the LFI and underscored growing polarisation in France, as hard-left and hard-right groups seek to capitalise on frustration with the minority centrist government ahead of local elections next month and a presidential vote next year.
LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for calm on social media. “Let’s not fuel the incitement to take the law into one’s own hands,” he said.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, said Mélenchon had “opened the doors of the National Assembly to presumed murderers.” French President Emmanuel Macron also appealed for calm after the killing.
What impact do you think this case could have on France’s political climate ahead of the next elections?
