Thousands march in Lyon to honor slain far-right activist as police deploy heavy security
LYON, France — Thousands marched through central Lyon under heavy security to pay tribute to Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old far-right activist whose killing after street clashes has sharpened fears over political violence in France.
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Participants, many dressed in black and some masking their faces, carried flowers and placards bearing Deranque’s photograph alongside slogans reading “justice for Quentin” and “the extreme left kills.” The French gendarmerie and police deployed extensively along the route and used drones to monitor the crowd, amid concerns the tribute could trigger further confrontations.
Deranque died of head injuries sustained during clashes between radical left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a demonstration last week against a politician from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party in Lyon. The march in his memory was widely promoted on social media by ultra-nationalist and far-right groups and was expected to draw a large turnout.
Authorities vowed a zero-tolerance approach. Regional prefect Fabienne Buccio said no organized counterprotest had been detected online but announced security would remain in place into the evening to prevent trouble. “We will not tolerate the slightest incident during the march, just as we will not tolerate any incident on its sidelines,” she said.
Before the procession set off, mourners gathered at the church Deranque had frequented. His portrait was hung from the facade of the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes regional headquarters. “I’m here to defend his memory in the place where Quentin expressed himself most intensely, namely the Catholic Church and the traditional rite,” said Laurent, a friend who attended the service.
Aliette Espieux, a former spokesperson for the anti-abortion movement and one of the rally’s organizers, called for a peaceful tribute but criticized National Rally president Jordan Bardella for urging supporters not to attend. “I don’t find that very honourable,” she said.
Deranque’s parents did not take part. Their lawyer, Fabien Rajon, said the family hoped the gathering would proceed “without violence” and “without political statements.” Even so, multiple ultra-right groups — including Deranque’s nationalist Allobroges Bourgoin faction — had heavily publicized the event, fueling officials’ concerns that far-right and hard-left activists from outside France could seek to join.
Some residents along the route boarded up ground-floor windows ahead of the march. “At my age, I’m not going to play the tough guy,” said Lyon resident Jean Echeverria, 87. “They’ll just keep fighting each other, it’ll never end. Between the extreme of this and the extreme of that, it’s non-stop.”
Lyon’s Green mayor, Gregory Doucet, urged the state to ban the march, saying he did not want the city to become “the capital of the far right, at any point.” LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard echoed the call on X, warning the tribute would be a “fascist demonstration.” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez declined to prohibit the rally, saying he had to balance public order with freedom of expression and pledging “an extremely large police deployment.”
President Emmanuel Macron condemned political violence, stating, “In the Republic, no violence is legitimate. There is no place for militias, no matter where they come from.”
Deranque’s death has also drawn comment from Washington. A U.S. State Department official, Sarah Rogers, labeled the killing “terrorism” and said “violent radical leftism is on the rise,” remarks likely to reverberate in a campaign season already shaped by security and identity politics.
Prosecutors have charged six men suspected of involvement in the fatal assault. A parliamentary assistant to a radical left-wing MP has also been charged with complicity as the investigation continues.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
