PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for calm ahead of nationwide rallies planned in memory of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old far-right activist whose killing last week has jolted France and inflamed already raw political tensions.
Authorities are bracing for potential clashes between extremist groups, particularly in Lyon, where a large march is set to proceed under heavy security despite the city’s Green mayor urging the state to ban it. Police expect 2,000 to 3,000 participants and anticipate counter-protests from the hard left.
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Deranque died after a street fight captured on video, an incident that has become a lightning rod in a polarized landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential vote. At the site of the assault, the words “LFI KILLS” were painted in red next to tributes of flowers, a reference to the hard-left party La France Insoumise, underscoring the charged atmosphere.
“In the Republic, no violence is legitimate,” Macron said at a farming trade fair in Paris. “There is no place for militias, no matter where they come from.”
He added that his government would convene a meeting next week to “take stock of violent action groups which are active and have links with political parties of any description,” signaling potential steps against organized street movements across the spectrum. Macron, who is barred from running again in 2027 due to term limits, urged “everyone to remain calm.”
The rallies for Deranque, particularly the Lyon gathering, have become a proxy for a wider struggle between far-right and hard-left currents that have battled for visibility and narrative control on French streets. Police have warned that provocations on either side could turn the commemorations into flashpoints.
International reaction has sharpened the debate. A U.S. State Department official, Sarah Rogers, labeled the killing “terrorism” and said “violent radical leftism is on the rise.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the death “a wound for all Europe,” comments that drew a rebuke from Macron, who urged her to refrain from weighing in on domestic French matters.
French prosecutors have moved quickly. Six men suspected of involvement in the fatal assault have been charged. A parliamentary assistant to a radical left-wing lawmaker has also been charged with complicity, according to officials.
The far-right collective Nemesis, which says it campaigns to “defend Western women” from violence it ascribes to immigration, claimed Deranque had joined the Lyon protest to protect its members and was assaulted by “anti-fascist” activists. Authorities have not endorsed that account and have urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified claims.
The weekend rallies come amid rising concern over street militancy and a broader battle over France’s political identity. Security services have spent the week mapping potential risks, identifying routes likely to draw rival groups and preparing for rapid interventions to prevent confrontations.
Macron’s call for calm appears aimed at cooling a cycle of mobilization and counter-mobilization that has characterized recent French street politics. His pledge to review “violent action groups” suggests the Élysée could seek new tools to curb organizations that operate on the fringes of lawful protest while maintaining party ties.
For now, the government’s challenge is immediate: allowing public remembrance without letting it tip into confrontation. As thousands prepare to march, officials hope solemnity, not escalation, marks the streets of Lyon and beyond.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
