French authorities have arrested nine people as part of an investigation into the killing of 23-year-old maths student Quentin Deranque, who died in hospital after being brutally beaten following a public event in Lyon.
Investigators believe the attackers were masked individuals connected to far-left networks, with reports linking suspects to the banned group La Jeune Garde, while one of those detained reportedly worked as a parliamentary assistant to a lawmaker from the radical left France Unbowed party.
The attack occurred after a small protest involving far-right feminist activists near the city’s Sciences-Po institute, where Deranque had been helping with security. Prosecutors say he suffered fatal skull and brain injuries after being punched and kicked by multiple attackers.
The case has intensified political pressure on France Unbowed and its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has rejected any connection to the suspects and condemned the violent attack.
🔴 🗣️ Agression mortelle du militant identitaire Quentin Deranque à Lyon : “Ces gens là ne veulent pas vivre ensemble, ces gens là veulent s’entretuer”, considère l’historien Pascal Blanchard. #ToutEstPolitique #Canal16 pic.twitter.com/dQsXxAjrGa
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) February 17, 2026
And yet, when Far Right members are defending themselves from the Far Left, it’s considered to be a ‘Hate Crime!