Nine arrested in France over killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque

Nine individuals, including an aide to a far-left lawmaker, have been arrested in connection with the killing of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old far-right activist who was beaten to death outside a venue in Lyon, France last week.

The arrests were made by French authorities following an investigation into the incident, which has sparked tensions between the far-right and far-left ahead of municipal elections in March and the presidential race in 2027. The victims’ body was found on Thursday, during a protest against Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan’s appearance in Lyon.

According to prosecutors, six of the detainees are suspected of participating in the beating, while three are suspected of aiding them. Seven of the suspects were men and two were women. An assistant to Raphael Arnault, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed party, was among those detained.

The investigation is ongoing, with Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran stating that the incident will be examined as both a voluntary homicide and aggravated assault. The head of the LFI party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, has condemned the attack, while an anti-immigration collective called Nemesis has blamed the killing on La Jeune Garde, an anti-fascist youth group co-founded by Arnault.

The incident has sparked a response from politicians across France, with lawmakers holding a minute of silence in memory of Deranque and a march planned for next Saturday. The far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen has condemned the attack, while her lieutenant, Jordan Bardella, has accused the LFI’s Melenchon of having “moral and political responsibility” for the incident.

The arrests bring the total number of suspects to nine, with further developments in the investigation expected in the coming days.

Source: Al Jazeera