Ultra-Left Thugs Kill Activist

Wooden casket with white flowers in a funeral home.

A young far-right activist’s brutal beating death in Lyon exposes France’s deepening street violence, where radical leftists clashed with protesters, igniting claims that women now protest at their peril.

Story Snapshot

Quentin Deranque, 23, died February 15, 2026, after ultra-left attackers beat him into a coma during a Lyon protest against LFI MEP Rima Hassan.
Némésis, a nationalist feminist group, frames the assault as proof radical leftists endanger women and conservatives amid rising political clashes.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin blamed “ultra-left” killers and LFI rhetoric, demanding accountability before 2027 elections.
Thousands marched in Deranque’s honor, chanting against the extreme left, though Nazi salutes marred the event.
Data reveals far-right groups dominate France’s political violence, countering activist narratives of left-wing dominance.

Clashes Erupt Near Sciences Po Lyon

On February 12, 2026, far-right protesters from Némésis gathered outside Sciences Po Lyon to oppose LFI MEP Rima Hassan’s speech. Anti-immigration activists, including security volunteer Quentin Deranque, faced off against Jeune Garde antifascists. Fists flew as ideological foes collided. Deranque suffered a savage beating, landing him in a coma. Supporters decried it as a leftist lynching, amplifying fears for women in the fray.

Rima Hassan, a vocal Gaza critic, drew conservative ire. Némésis positioned their protest as defending nationalist women against LFI’s hard-left agenda. Lyon, a notorious hotspot for such brawls, saw police struggle to contain the melee. Deranque’s youth underscored the personal toll of France’s polarized streets.

Death Sparks National Outrage

Deranque died three days later on February 15. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin swiftly pinned the killing on the “ultra-left,” slamming LFI for rhetoric that “kills.” Six men faced aggravated manslaughter charges; an LFI MP’s assistant got hit with complicity. Prosecutors in Lyon pursued leads amid heavy security.

President Macron planned talks on violent groups. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez greenlit a memorial march for free speech. Far-right leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella demanded justice, boosting National Rally ahead of 2027 polls. LFI’s Eric Coquerel condemned the death but pointed to far-right provocation.

Memorial March Reveals Divisions

Thousands—3,200 strong—marched in Lyon February 21-22 under tight watch. Chants vilified the “extreme left.” Yet reports surfaced of Nazi salutes and racist slurs, leading to one detention. Organizers like Aliette Espieux warned France grows unsafe for women protesters, echoing Némésis’s feminist-nationalist stance.

Conservatives view this as unprovoked leftist aggression, aligning with common-sense calls for law and order. Facts support Darmanin’s blame on ultra-left actors here, though broader data tempers the narrative. Rural far-right cells, fueled by Eric Zemmour’s Reconquête, spread violence beyond cities.

Political Violence’s Stark Reality

Sociologist Isabelle Sommier charts 6,000 incidents since 1986, with assaults doubling post-2017. Radical right perpetrated over 60% of attacks from 2017-2026, including all six deaths since 2022. Ultra-left accounts for 25%, often targeting police. Historian Nicolas Lebourg notes far-right rural expansion.

Yellow Vests and pension protests primed ultra-left clashes, but far-right now leads lethality. Némésis’s “women unsafe” claim grabs headlines, yet evidence shows mutual brutality. American conservatives would applaud Darmanin’s forthright stance: inflammatory words from LFI fuel the fire, demanding accountability over excuses.