Demonstrators gathered in multiple French cities following the death of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque, as seven individuals face charges tied to the attack.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Lyon on Saturday to protest the killing of 23-year-old conservative student Quentin Deranque, who died after suffering a traumatic brain injury during an altercation earlier this month.
Seven individuals have been charged in connection with the assault, which occurred on the sidelines of a protest against Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan of the far-left La France Insoumise party at Sciences Po university in Lyon. According to local reporting from Le Progrès, available here, most of the suspects “are known to be either members of, or close to” the Young Guard Antifa cell in Lyon founded by LFI MP Raphaël Arnault in 2018.
Those charged include Jacques-Elie Favrot, a parliamentary assistant to Arnault, and Adrian Besseyre, who previously worked for the lawmaker.
The killing sparked widespread reaction across the country. A demonstration under the banner “Justice for Quentin” took place in Lyon, with local authorities reporting that at least 3,200 people attended, according to Le Progrès, which covered the march here. Additional protests were held in Rennes, Brest, Saint-Brieuc and Châteauroux.
During the Lyon demonstration, some participants were heard chanting “LFI complicit, Antifa murderers” and “Young Guard in prison, free the city of Lyon.” Others carried a banner reading “The far left kills.”
Members of the local branch of Collectif Némésis, described as an identitarian feminist group, joined the march. Quentin Deranque had reportedly been providing protection for the group at the time of his assault. One participant told Le Figaro, in coverage available here, that they attended to “pay tribute to Quentin because he protected us; it’s important for us to come and express our gratitude and our sadness.”
Another demonstrator told the publication she came to “show Quentin’s family that we support them: what they are going through is horrible, no one should die for their beliefs in France.”
When asked about concerns regarding the presence of far-right groups at the march, she responded: “I don’t know what ‘far right’ means. It’s a label they just throw at us, but the people on the other side are ignorant. They call us fascists when they don’t even know what it really means!”
The protest proceeded despite public objections from Lyon’s Green Party mayor, Grégory Doucet, who had called for the demonstration to be cancelled due to concerns about “the arrival of individuals likely to commit violence.” His remarks were reported by Le Figaro here. Doucet said he did not want “Lyon to be the capital of the far-right.”
Despite tensions and the presence of counter-demonstrators supportive of Antifa, the rally concluded largely without major incident. At the end of the march, activists unfurled a banner reading “farewell comrade” and sang “La Marseillaise,” France’s national anthem.
Authorities continue to investigate the killing as legal proceedings move forward against the seven charged individuals.
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