French authorities have arrested 11 suspects in connection with the killing of an extremist activist last week, including an aide to a member of the hard-left, a prosecutor and an informed source, according to the report.
Quentin Derank, 23, died of severe brain injuries after being attacked by at least six people during a far-right protest against a left-wing politician speaking at a university in the southeastern city of Lyon.
The incident fueled tensions between France’s right and hard left ahead of municipal elections in March and the 2027 presidential race, in which the far-right National Rally (RN) party is still thought to have the best chance of winning.
Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dron announced the arrest of nine suspects on Tuesday evening. Two more suspects were arrested on Wednesday, a man suspected of direct connection to the violence and his partner suspected of helping him escape justice, Dron said.
Among those arrested was an aide to Raphael Arnault, a member of parliament from the hard-left France Unbid (LFI) party, the sources said. Arnault responded that the assistant was being fired.
The head of the LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said Deranc’s attackers had “dishonored” themselves by acting with apparent lethal intent. “When it comes to violence, whether it’s defensive or dangerous… all hitting is impermissible,” he said.
Nemesis, an anti-immigration group that claims to fight violence against Western women, said Derank took part in the protest in Lyon to protect its members.
Nemesis blamed La Jeune Garde (Young Guard), the anti-fascist youth group Arnault had co-founded before being elected to parliament, for the murder.
La Jeune Garde – disbanded in June – denied any links to the “tragic events”, but Arnault called the killing “horrific”.
On Monday, the speaker of parliament, Yall Braun-Pivet, said one of Arnault’s aides had been banned from the chamber after being mentioned by witnesses.
Another source close to the investigation described Thursday’s attack as “a pitched battle between members of the far left and far right”.
A video broadcast by TF1 television of the alleged attack showed a dozen people laying on the ground and three others, two of whom managed to escape.
“People were hitting each other with iron bars,” a witness told Agence France-Presse.
Lawmakers observed a minute of silence in France’s National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon in memory of Deranque, but a march in his honor is expected to be held in Lyon next Saturday.
Although the government identified the LFI and La Jeune Garde, the Lyon prosecutor on Monday declined to comment on those claims, saying the incident was being investigated as voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.
On the right, three-time presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen from the RN condemned “the barbarians responsible for this murder”.
Jordan Bardella, who leads her party, said after the arrests that LFI’s Mélenchon was “morally and politically responsible” for what happened, saying he had “opened the doors of the National Assembly to suspected murderers”.
Opinion polls have the right leading the way for the presidency in 2027, when centrist President Emmanuel Macron would have to step down after a maximum of two terms.
